Brazil 2014 - Opening Ceremony

It was a spectacular display at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo. The ceremony preceded the opening match against the host country Brazil and Croatia. The display revolved around a huge LED display ball, which was hand made with around 90000 LED light bulbs.

Brazils rich heritage and culture was brought to light with various enactments and dances. The Amazon was also incorporated in the form of trees, plants and even the Amazon river itself.

One of the highlights of the ceremony was the kicking of the first Brazuca ball in the World Cup by a paraplegic in a mechanical exoskeleton. The name of the paraplegic has been kept a secret. The skeleton was controlled by brain signals and the kicking of the ball was a success.

A lot of people gave the Brazilians some flack about the opening ceremony, but I think that they did a great job by keeping the ceremony in line with Brazils tradition and culture.

Adidas Brazuca - Official 2014 Soccer Ball

Adidas has done a better job with the new 2014 Official World Cup Soccer Ball, the Brazuca, as compared to its predecessor, the Jabulani. The Brazuca has pass all Fifa tests and has been given the stamp of approval.

The Brazuca was named the same way as the 2014 mascot, the Fuleco the armadillo, by doing a public vote. Over 1 million Brazilian football fans voted and "Brazuca" won with more than 77% of the votes.

The Brazuca has a unique panel style that keeps the ball waterproof and aerodynamic. It is said to perform far better than the Jabulani, which was a disaster for most players in the 2010 World Cup. Players claimed that the Jabulani was unpredictable and had poor direction in flight. But everybody had a problem with the ball and in a way that made the ball okay to play with. 

The Brazuca has overcome all its predecessors problems which hampered game play quite a bit in the last world cup, not only from the players point of view but from the fans as well. Fans missed out on the skill that the players brought to the field due to the behavior of the Jabulani ball.