On Thursday, June 12, San Paolo will host the start of the 2014 World Cup. The opening match will feature the country’s pride and glory, Brazil, against the visiting Croatia team. Sixty-four matches will take place in 12 different cities throughout the country and will last for the month of June and into July. The tournament culminates on July 13 for the World Cup final match between the top two teams in Rio de Janeiro.

Estimates guess that more than 3.2 billion people will tune in for at least one match during the games, with an estimated 1.3 billion tuning in to watch the Cup final. All eyes have been on Brazil since World Cup preparations began, with riots, strikes and strife breaking out in the months leading up to the start of the series but as of Thursday it’s game on — regardless of whether or not the city, the country and the world are ready for it.

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