World Cup Kicks Off With Football-Style Carnival
SAO PAULO (AP) -- With all of the issues and questions leading up to the World Cup, Itaquerao Stadium shined under blue skies as Brazil kicked off its home World Cup with a football-style carnival.
Jennifer Lopez, rapper Pitbull and Brazilian pop star Claudia Leitte bounced around a giant stage resembling a peeled melon singing ``We Are One'' on Brazil's Valentine's Day.
Brazil is ready to samba, and plans to teach the world to join in for the coming month during soccer's showcase tournament.
The soccer-crazed country hoped Thursday's Croatia-Brazil opener would just be the start of a run to extend its record to six World Cup wins.
The field was covered in for the opening ceremony, which cost $8 million, or about $18 million Brazilian reais.
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