Excitement is building in World Cup host country Brazil despite a transit strike in Sao Paulo, the site of the opening match, and social discontent in parts of the country.
Brazil World Cup Excitement Builds
![Commuters wait for the train at the Estacao da Se subway station in downtown Sao Paulo. Subway workers suspended a strike on Monday that crippled traffic in Brazil's largest city, but warned they could resume their walkout on Thursday, when Sao Paulo hosts the first game of the World Cup, June 10, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/2a9291ed-5576-4745-a95d-a9d0b71bf2be_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Commuters wait for the train at the Estacao da Se subway station in downtown Sao Paulo. Subway workers suspended a strike on Monday that crippled traffic in Brazil's largest city, but warned they could resume their walkout on Thursday, when Sao Paulo hosts the first game of the World Cup, June 10, 2014.
![Flip-flops printed with the national flags of soccer teams are sold in a sports shop, in Rio de Janeiro, June 10, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/c081c057-0fbe-4860-9d18-e5a5c3aa05c3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Flip-flops printed with the national flags of soccer teams are sold in a sports shop, in Rio de Janeiro, June 10, 2014.
![In a beachside parking area, a van contains a stockpile of coconuts, in Recife, June 11, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/c728fcfb-db04-4bf5-b428-59a9ab2a2d8a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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In a beachside parking area, a van contains a stockpile of coconuts, in Recife, June 11, 2014.
![A building in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, June 11, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/c5a23cea-7027-4077-9253-647a7da5c134_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A building in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, June 11, 2014.