After numerous delays that have hindered preparations for the FIFA World Cup, organizers of the event announced to fans not to be late and arrive in time to witness the kick off celebrations at 3:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) on Thursday.

Around 61,500 fans are expected to be in attendance for the event opening in Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena, while around a billion viewers will be watching from their homes.

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Twelve government leaders and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will also be attending the opening ceremonies, according to NDTV.com.

The kick off extravaganza will be about 25 minutes long that would include performances from some 600 artists including gymnasts, capoeira performers, stilt walkers and trampolinists.

Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte, Jennifer Lopez and rapper Pitbull will be performing the official FIFA single, "We Are One (Ole Ola)" together with Brazilian cultural drumming group Olodum.

Media had originally speculated that Lopez would pull out following news of her break up with boyfriend Casper Smart who also worked as the singer's back up dancer. On Sunday, FIFA announced that Lopez had pulled out citing production issues. However, it seems that the singer would push through with the performance after all.

The official FIFA song, "We Are One" is the lead single on Sony's World Cup album. However, reports say that some fans are disappointed with the song compared to Shakira's "Waka Waka" in 2010 and Ricky Martin's "Cup of Life" in 1998.

Probably one of the most anticipated events for the opening program would include a paraplegic who would be giving the first kick to official World Cup ball, Brazuca. The unnamed paraplegic will be reportedly wearing a robotic suit designed by Brazilian neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis which will be operated by the wearer's brain signals.

The preparations for the ceremony had involved more than 1,200 personnel and organizers had worked hard to keep the event under wraps. Belgian artistic director Daphne Cornez said that all the performers have been required to surrender their mobile phones before rehearsals to prevent leaks from selfies.

Nevertheless, organizers of the World Cup are proud of the opening ceremonies attributing at least 20 hours of artistic work to go into the performance.

"The opening ceremony is a tribute to Brazil and its treasures - nature, people, football," Cornez added.

TagsBrazuca, Opening ceremony, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Ban Ki Moon, Waka Waka, Cup of Life, FIFA official song, FIFA single, We Are One, Miguel Nicolelis, Olodum, Claudia Leitte, Casper Smart, We Are One (Ole Ola), Daphne Cornez, Brazilian world cup, paraplegic kick ball