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Stage set for World Cup kickoff

Korean dancers perform at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Eve Festival outside the World Cup Stadium in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- The wait for millions of football fans is finally over with the 2002 World Cup, hosted by Japan and South Korea, kicking off in Seoul on Friday.

After weeks of pre-tournament hype, the stage is set at Seoul's new 65,000-seat World Cup stadium where defending world champions France meet Senegal in the first of 64 matches to decide the best footballing nation in the world.

France, 1998 World Cup winners and current European champions, Argentina and Italy are widely tipped to take out football's greatest prize, which climaxes with a final to be played on June 30 at Yokohama in Japan.

Fans from 32 competing nations continue to descend upon North Asia, filling both country's streets with national songs and color.

It is the first time the quadrennial event has been held in Asia and the first time it has been co-hosted since the World Cup began in 1930.

Officials in Japan and South Korea have boosted security for the event in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

High-alert

Korean police officers walk sniffer dogs through the stands at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul amid tight security

In Seoul, security is discreet but firm, with the military on alert and patrolling the sky, sea and land. No-fly zones have been declared over and around stadiums during match days and special anti-air defenses have been installed.

Thousands of security personnel are stationed at the stadium and at other major sites in the capital. As part of the arrangements, metal detectors have been set up at the stadium's gates and all fan's attending Friday's opening match will have their belongings searched by the authorities.

Despite the high level of security, the event is being touted as a chance to help bring peace to the world following last year's terrorist attacks in the U.S.

"I earnestly hope that this World Cup will contribute to peace in the Korean peninsular and the world, as well as contribute to harmony throughout the world," South Korean President Kim Dae-jung said.

South and North Korea have been divided since the 1950-53 Korean war.

'Biggest event in history'

A bronze statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin, who won a major naval victory over Japan in the 16th century, stands against a huge fresco

The event is being seen as of great importance to South Korea, which is keen to show off its assets to the World Cup's global audience.

"I cannot overemphasize the historic significance of this event in Korea," Chung Mong-joon, the head of South Korea's World Cup Organizing Committee and vice-president of FIFA, told CNN.

"Korea has a long history of 5,000 years and this is the biggest event in our history ... It will help those people that don't know Korea enough to understand that Korea is a country with a rich cultural heritage and a very modern industrial society."

CNN NewsPass VIDEO CNN's Tim Lister tells how the 2002 World Cup is healing the animosities of the past between Cup hosts South Korea and Japan. (May 30) Play video

Korea's cultural tradition was on display during the opening of official festivities on Thursday, with dance, world music, and past footballing greats enthralling spectators at a packed concert at the Seoul's World Cup Park, opposite the stadium.

Persistent rain may have sent dignitaries home early, but it did little to prevent thousands of Koreans and international visitors from soaking up the two-hour festival that culminated in a spectacular fireworks display around the stadium.

Thursday's poor weather was replaced on Friday by warmer temperatures and the expectation of bright sunshine.

A grand opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at the stadium at 6:30 p.m. (0930 GMT) before France take on Senegal at 8:30 p.m.