Live: Opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup 2014

Live updates of the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

10ThingstoSeeSports - Aerial view of the Maracana stadium is seen during sunset in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, June 8, 2014. The Word Cup soccer tournament is set to begin in just a few days, with the opening match on June 12 and Maracana stadium will host the World Cup Final match on July 13. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

00.10 a.m.: That brings the opening ceremony to a close and it's now time to look forward to Brazil and Croatia samba during the opening game which will begin at 01.30 a.m. IST.

A look at the >stars to watch out for

00.04 a.m.: And here come Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte with Pitbull (AKA the opening ceremony guy) to perform the official song

We Are One .

00.02 a.m.: The Brazilian flag enters as the children form a circle around it. The football called the 'Brazuca' is taken on to the pitch.

00.01 a.m.: Referees card the performers and a new set of acrobats take their place to portray a football game. 64 children take part in the performance, 63 boys and one girl.

00.00: Samba is showcased and Brazilian music and dance comes to the fore.

23.45 p.m.: And the opening ceremony finall begins. "Welcome" is displayed in the languages of all the playing nations. Brazil displays the colours of its nation and the Amazon rainforest.

23.10 p.m.: Here's a quiz on your favourite teams while we spend some time waiting for the opening ceremony to begin.

23.00 p.m.: An interactive graphic of the Maracana Stadium at Rio de Janeiro where the World Cup will begin.

21.30 p.m.: Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are all set to watch the kick off.

20.30 p.m.: 32 teams are playing this edition of the World Cup. It is the biggest sporting event in the world, with the first round of qualifiers kicking off over three years prior to the start of the World Cup.

20.20 p.m.:

NASA goes to the >#WorldCup ! See images from space of each country playing: >http://t.co/sLepClqZpx>pic.twitter.com/s0ESMVL6X6

— NASA (@NASA) >June 12, 2014

20.15 p.m.:

What a day! The start of the >@FIFAWorldCup So much excitement around this competition. Just love it all. >#Brazil

— Chris Wood (@officialcwood) >June 12, 2014

20.00 p.m.: The FIFA World Cup 2014 is about to begin and nearly half the world’s population, well over 3 billion spectators, are expected to watch soccer’s premier event and get a glimpse of the country that in two years will host the Summer Olympics.

From now begins live updates of the much-expected opening ceremony.