Brazil anxiously edged towards the opening of the World Cup with the spectre of threatened protests and FIFA corruption claims looming large.
The football-besotted nation nervously awaits the opener between Brazil and Croatia on Thursday (Friday 8am AEST), hoping on-field action releases pressure caused by troubled preparations.
Protests, transport strikes and corruption allegations engulfing soccer's world governing body FIFA have taken prominence leading into the global event.
But FIFA president Sepp Blatter insisted on Wednesday he was confident Brazilians will be in a "better mood" once the ball gets rolling.
Blatter rejected calls to quit amid claims of corruption dogging FIFA's decision to award hosting rights to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
But in a speech to the FIFA congress in Sao Paulo on Wednesday, he acknowledged the governing body must change.
"It is our duty to lead by example and behave like an example, with integrity," he said.
Blatter's comments came as much of Sao Paulo, which hosts the first game at the Arena Corinthians, was bedecked in yellow and green Brazilian flags.
A massive security operation will be launched around the 61,000-capacity arena amid concern by authorities of a repeat of nationwide protests at the Confederations Cup last year when one million people took to the streets.
About 150,000 police and soldiers and some 20,000 private security officers will be deployed in the the 12 host cities to counter protesters whose slogan is "the Cup will not take place".
The protesters argue Brazil would be better served by spending the $US11 billion cost of staging soccer's showpiece on health and education.
But Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff insisted the expected 600,000 overseas visitors would be welcomed with "open arms".
"We will guarantee the security of Brazilians and of those who come visit us," she said on Wednesday in the north-eastern city of Salvador.
Rousseff made the comments while visiting a subway project - an ironic location, given Sao Paulo subway workers have threatened to walk out during the Cup's opening day after some workers were fired for taking part in a previous strike.
World Cup organisers are counting on the subway system to carry tens of thousands of fans on Thursday to the stadium, far from hotel areas where most tourists are staying.
The stadium itself underwent final checks on Wednesday, with workers seen checking beams and installing wiring on the eve of the opening game, to be attended by a dozen world leaders including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
The 12 World Cup stadiums were due to be ready by the end of December but six missed that deadline. And eight workers died in the construction, including three in Sao Paulo.
Despite the off-field problems, the tournament itself promises to be memorable as Brazil seek a record sixth title by triumphing in a field of 32 nations including defending champion Spain.
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