Bringing Brazil to a standstill

All eyes on the prize as defending Cup champion opens tournament

They watched at remote cattle ranches on the edge of the Amazon. Thousands gathered before a giant screen on sun-drenched Copacabana beach in Rio.

In hole-in-the-wall bars in hillside slums, haughty high society clubs and family living rooms across the country, all eyes were trained on TV sets as the World Cup opened on Thursday in Brazil.