Porto Alegre, Feb 16 (IANS): Brazil's Beira-Rio became the eighth stadium to be ready for this year's football World Cup when it officially opened almost two months behind schedule.
The venue's owner, Internacional football club marked the occasion with a 4-0 victory over local rivals Caxias in the Rio Grande do Sul state league Saturday, reports Xinhua.
It is only the second of Brazil non-Confederations Cup stadiums to be ready for the World Cup, despite a December deadline set by football's governing body FIFA.
Stadiums still under construction for the June 12-July 13 event are Sao Paulo's Itaquerao, Curitiba's Arena da Baixada, Cuaiba's Arena do Pantanal and Manaus' Arena da Amazonia.
Located in the southern city of Porto Alegre, the 51,000-seat Beira-Rio will host five World Cup matches.