But there is already disappointment for the host nation’s fans with Germany’s captain Michael Ballack ruled out of the tournament's curtain-raiser.
Ballack has failed to recover from a calf injury and cannot lead his country out for the match against Costa Rica in Munich.
Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann said it was more important that the influential midfielder regained fitness for later matches.
"He only trained for 30 minutes on Wednesday and then had to pull out," Klinsmann said on Thursday. We wanted Ballack on board as he is our captain and leader but it is important that he recovers.
"We want him to get back to full fitness so that he can be fit for the other games in the competition. I do not think the opening game is as important as some of the other games that could come later on."
Either Tim Borowski or Sebastian Kehl will take Ballack's place for the Group A opener, but the loss of a player who has scored 31 goals in 65 international games is an undoubted setback. Germany face Poland and Costa Rica in their other first-round matches.
Socceroos prepare
Australia’s Socceroos continue on a positive path in the lead-up to their World Cup opener in Kaiserslautern against Japan on Monday.
Marco Bresciano is over an ear infection which left him bedridden this week and has recovered well enough to train with the team.
There was some concern for Australia at training, with skipper Mark Viduka not taking part because of a slight calf injury.
After warming up, Viduka then left the field for treatment with physiotherapist Les Gelis and returned late in the session wearing a compression sock. But officials say Viduka will be fine and available to play Japan.
Bresciano's recovery is heartening news for the Socceroos, who are likely to rely heavily on the Italian-based midfielder's delivery from corners and free-kicks to trouble a Japanese defence they rate as vulnerable to set pieces and aerial balls.
That perceived weakness could also lead to an opportunity for Australia's giant striker Josh Kennedy as a possible game-breaker during the match.
World Cup festivities
The month-long soccer extravaganza includes 32 teams and 64 matches in 12 stadiums from Hamburg in the north to Munich in the south.
About 250,000 fans from Poland to Paraguay converged on the
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Wednesday night to launch a tournament street party, just a taste of the festivities that cities across Germany have lined up.
The orb on the German capital's TV tower has been transformed into a massive pink-and-silver soccer ball.
On the lawn in front of the Reichstag parliament building a mini-replica of Berlin's Olympic Stadium has risen up, where 8,600 fans can watch their teams face off on massive screens.
"Together with all our guests, we want to celebrate an exciting, fascinating and fun football party," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a FIFA congress in Munich on Wednesday.
The slogan German organisers have adopted for the World Cup is "A Time to Make Friends".
Football hooligans
Just how friendly the tournament will prove is a subject of intense debate. Tourism officials have launched a campaign to encourage locals to be nice to the estimated 1.5 million foreign fans that are expected in Germany.
But a survey by pollsters Forsa has shown nearly two in three Germans see a high risk of hooligan violence at the tournament and one in three fears a terrorist attack.
Concerns are also rife that black tourists could be targets for attacks in the depressed former communist east, where far-right groups are active.
Any such violence, officials fear, would tarnish Germany's image on the world stage and deepen lingering divisions between the east and west at a time when the country should be coming together to rally behind their team.
Security is a major issue at the World Cup, with NATO surveillance planes flying anti-terror monitoring flights over Germany and huge numbers of German police backed up by 7,000 soldiers, including specialist biological warfare units.
Cup with no beers?
Meanwhile German brewer and sponsor Bitburger is worried it may not be able to meet thirsty fans' demand during the World Cup - for bottles, that is.
The company has been asking customers to return their bottles to stands where they bought them.
"We really need the empty bottles. Please bring them back," urged production head Thomas Lauer.