The 19th FIFA World Cup kicks off in
Ahead of the first game, featuring hosts
Here’s the low-down on the opening day extravaganza.
1. Former South African leader Nelson Mandela was due to attend the World Cup opening ceremony but has pulled out after the death of his great granddaughter Zenani on the way home from yesterday's concert in Soweto.
2. Another political giant set to be inside
3. Exact details of the ceremony itself are being kept well under wraps, with performers signing confidentiality documents, but we know for sure that the event will feature dancers, flag bearers and dancing mascots
4. David Beckham is rumoured to appear during the ceremony. The organising committee's chief executive Danny Jordaan has approached the injured
5. South African singer Siphiwo Ntshebe was scheduled to perform at the World Cup opening ceremony and sing the song Hope but sadly he died in
6. The hour-long opening ceremony will be broadcast live in more than 215 countries worldwide, with an expected global audience of 500 million. Some 85,000 of those will be at
8. The night before the official opening ceremony a three-hour live music concert took place at the 30,000-capacity Orlando Stadium in Soweto featuring Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Shakira, The Parlotones and Freshly Ground. It is the first time an official pre-World Cup event of this scale has taken place
9. Motivating the opening ceremony performers ahead of the show, Danny Jordaan told the 1,500 performers this week: “You'll be the first to [take] the pitch, even before Bafana Bafana, so the World Cup starts not with Bafana but with you”
10. The centrepiece of the opening ceremony is set to feature Grammy Award winner R Kelly and the Soweto Spiritual Singers performing Sign of a Victory. Other musical performers will include trumpeter Hugh Masekela, Nigerian Femi Kuti, Algerian Afro-pop artists Khaled and Hip-Hop Pantsula
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