Rio de Janeiro, April 3 (IANS): Brazil has officially opened the Arena Pantanal stadium despite unfinished construction work at the 2014 FIFA World Cup venue.
Local media reported Wednesday that less than half of the venue's 44,000 seats have been installed to date while temporary structures and access areas are also incomplete, reports Xinhua.
The inauguration featured a Copa do Brasil fixture between Santos and Mixto.
About 20,000 tickets were made available for the match, of which 2000 went to construction workers and there families.
Organisers expect work on the stadium to finish April 26, four months after the original deadline imposed by football's governing body FIFA.
The stadium in the western city of Cuiaba is due to host four World Cup matches in June and July.