2014 Fifa World Cup, Brazil: Where to Watch Live, TV Timings and Radio Coverage

Follow live coverage of the World Cup opening ceremony here

FIFA World Cup trophy — FIFA President Sepp Blatter (R) and Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff pose next to the World Cup trophy during a ceremony at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia June 2, 2014. Reuters

The 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil, arguably the biggest and the most anticipated sporting event of the year, is about to kick-start.

The coverage of the 2014 World Cup starts on Thursday, 12 June. The opening ceremony will be covered by ITV. Live coverage starts at 7pm BST. The inaugural match, Brazil v Croatia, will be aired on ITV at 9pm BST.

The broadcasting rights for the 2014 World Cup in the United Kingdom have been split between the BBC and ITV.

England v Ecuador: England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (15) controls the ball past Ecuador midfielder Carlos Gruezo (23) during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. Reuters

United Kingdom - Live TV Times – BBC & ITV

During the 2014 World Cup, apart from the opening day (12 June), there will be three matches broadcast every day. The matches will be split between ITV and BBC.

The England team, placed in Group D, are in one of the toughest groups of the tournament. They compete with four-time champions Italy, two-time champions Uruguay and Costa Rica.

The Three Lions are going into the tournament with a relatively young and untested team, but with bags of talent. The English team does not offer great expectations, which could prove a blessing in disguise.

2014 World Cup - Group Stages (12 June – 26 June)

There are four regular times at which matches usually start; 5pm, 8pm and 11pm. From 23 June, matches in the second time slot will start at 9pm.

There is only one match scheduled for 2am on 15 June.

2014 World Cup – Last 16 (28 June – 1 July)

Coming into the second stage of the tournament, there will be only two matches per day. The first match will be aired at 5pm and the second at 9pm.

2014 World Cup – Quarter Finals (4 & 5 July)

During the quarter-final stage, two matches will be broadcast in a day. The first match will be aired at 5pm and the second at 9pm.

2014 World Cup – Semi Finals (8 & 9 July)

The semi-final will see only one match being broadcast a day. The match will be aired at 9pm.