The 2014 World Cup kicked off in style on Thursday night as Jennifer Lopez starred in the spectacular opening ceremony in Sao Paulo.
There was a carnival atmosphere as 61,000 fans, many in fancy dress, filled the stadium and watched 660 dancers in colourful costumes provide typical Brazilian entertainment on the pitch.
But things shifted up a gear when J-Lo took to the stage with rapper Pitbull and sang the official World Cup song We Are One (Ole Ola).
When they finished, the crowd erupted with a mighty roar and chanted “Brazil, Brazil, Brazil.”
The show’s artistic director Daphne Cornez said: “The opening ceremony was a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people football.
"The sense of excitement here was amazing and everyone was very motivated.”
Spectators started arriving eight hours ahead of the host nation’s match against Croatia and got the party started.
To their relief, a planned metro strike was called off at the last minute.
Choreographers had been working on the 25-minute ceremony, which needed 300 technicians and 150 production staff, since early 2013 - including 84 rehearsals.
The spectacle on the Arena de Sao Paulo pitch included people dressed as trees and flowers and children jumping up and down on trampolines.
As many performed their routines around a multi-coloured ‘living’ ball, children in the colours of the 32 nations then made their way into the middle to juggle balls on elastic string.
The biggest cheers were reserved for when the Brazil flag was paraded on the pitch and when J-Lo, dressed in a carnival-style green outfit, appeared with Pitbull from a trapdoor.
She was joined on stage by Brazilian pop star Claudia Leitte, who was wearing a blue sparkly dress.
The ceremony in Brazil’s largest city was watched by a global television audience of several hundred million and has cost organisers £4.7million.
Source: Nowgoal
