ການເປີດການແຂ່ງຂັນໃນຄັ້ງນີ້ ແມ່ນເລີ້ມດ້ວຍພິທີ ທີ່ນະຄອນ South Pauloກ່ອນທີ່
ທີມ Brazil ຈະລົງແຂ່ງຂັນກັບທີມ Croatia. ປະເທດເຈົ້າພາບ ແມ່ນພະຍາຍາມທີ່ຈະ
ຄວ້າເອົາຕຳແໜ່ງແຊ້ມເຕະບານໂລກ ມາຄອງເປັນປະຫວັດການ ເທື່ອທີ 6 ແລະຈະເປັນ
ການຄອງຕຳແໜ່ງດັ່ງກ່າວເທື່ອທຳອິດ ນັບຕັ້ງແຕ່ປີ 2002 ເປັນຕົ້ນມາ.
ສ່ວນທື່ມອື່ນໆ ທີ່ຄາດວ່າຈະທ້າທາຍ ຍາດເອົາຕຳແໜ່ງແຊ້ມເຕະບານໂລກ ໄປຄອງ
ກໍມີຮວມທັງ Argentina, Spain ທີ່ເປັນຜູ້ຕໍ່ສູ້ຮັກສາຕຳແໜ່ງແຊ້ມ ແລະ ເຢຍຣະມັນ
ຊຶ່ງ ກ່ອນອື່ນໝົດນັ້ນ ຈະຕ້ອງເຂົ້າຮອບ ໃນອັນທີ່ເອີ້ນວ່າ “ກຸ່ມມໍລະນະ ຫຼື Group
of Death” ເສຍກ່ອນ.
Brazil opens the football World Cup on Thursday facing a test both as a host country and on the field, as its team plays in the opening match of the tournament that oddsmakers expect it to win.
The government spent $11.5 billion to prepare for the month-long event, including building or upgrading stadiums in 12 cities hosting games among the 32-team field. Protesters plan to hold rallies Thursday, continuing their criticism of spending they say is badly needed on other things in Brazil.
The event kicks off with an opening ceremony in Sao Paulo before Brazil takes on Croatia. The host country is trying to win a record sixth World Cup title, and its first since 2002.
Other teams expected to challenge for the World Cup trophy include Argentina, defending champion Spain, and Germany, which has to first make it through the so-called "Group of Death."
The tournament is played in two stages. The first lasts two weeks with the four teams in each of eight groups playing games against one another. The top two teams in each group then move on to a single-elimination bracket, with a champion being crowned on July 13.
Germany, currently ranked second in the world by World Cup organizer FIFA, is in a group with fourth-ranked Portugal, the United States and Ghana, all of which made it to the round of 16 at the last World Cup in 2010.
Another tough group to watch is the only other to feature more than one top-10 team. It pits seventh-ranked Uruguay against ninth-ranked Italy, 10th-ranked England and number 28 Costa Rica.
