13/06/2014 Newsround

Hi, I'm Leah, live in Rio with a special World Cup Newsround.

So it's begun, the World Cup kicked off with a bang last night.

There was a spectacular opening ceremony and host nation Brazil

claimed a 3-1 victory over Croatia in the opening match.

I was watching that match on the beach with 20,000 others, it was

electric. The team have already arrived

in Manaus ahead of their first BBC Sport reporter Andy

Swiss sent us this report. Welcome to Manaus, it is incredibly

hot and incredibly sticky. Really tough conditions for England players

when they face Italy tomorrow. Behind me is the stadium, the

England players will be training inside their this afternoon. They

will get a first look at the pitch, which has come in for some heavy

criticism, it is not in good condition, lots of brown streaks

across the middle. The ground staff have been trying to improve it, they

have been painting the brown bits green to make it look better, it'll

be interesting see what the players make of that. Danny Welbeck has been

struggling with a thigh injury, if he is not fit it could open the door

for Raheem Sterling. They will get plenty of support, despite this

being an isolated place. Lots of England fans have made the journey.

Italy are tough opponents, they beat England at the European

Championships two years ago. The England fans are confident that the

journey will be worth it. Let's take a closer look at Manaus,

where England will play tomorrow. We already know it's going to

be really hot and sticky. That's because it's home to

the largest tropical rainforest It's packed with some

of the world's rarest plants and animals but people there are worried

the forest is under threat because The Amazon. The largest tropical

rainforest on earth. Feeding the mightiest river in the world. It is

estimated to be home to up to 3 million different species, there is

nowhere else like it on the planet. But for years, chopping down trees

in the Amazon, a process called deforestation, has made headlines

around the world. From 1995 to 2005, an area of forest the size of Wales

was cut down every year. We are destroying plants and habitats of

animals, which might have nowhere to go, which might run the risk of

becoming extinct. It is not that people don't value the forest, it is

just people live in that area. These people need to find something that

they can make money out of. Over the last decade the Brazilian government

have done a lot to control the rate of deforestation. Huge protected

areas have been created, farming is monitored and a police force patrols

the skies looking for illegal logging. The message is spreading,

these kids are learning about the importance of the Amazon through

their own conservation work and getting their hands dirty. What do

you enjoy most about these classes? TRANSLATION: I can learn about

nature and the animals and how to create a safer and more beautiful

place to live. We have done a deforestation project to learn how

important it is for mankind not to destroy the future of the Amazon and

to leave it to our children. The Brazilian government has been

praised for slowing the rate of deforestation, but last year, for

the first time in five years, has a rise, raising the question once

again offered the greatest ecosystem on the planet can be protected --

for the first time in five years there has been a rise.

The time in Manaus is five hours behind

the UK so England's match tomorrow will be on at a super-late 11:00pm

You've been telling us whether you'll be having a late night.

Chloe in Leicester says, "I'm definitely staying up to watch

it, even though it's well past my bedtime!

If you really want to know who's going to win England's big game this

weekend, don't bother listening to any footy

you just need Ronaldo, the Newsround parrot, to predict who will win.

So let's have a look and see who his top tip is for tomorrow's match.

Oh, dear. I don't think we are going to be best of friends. The party has

started up again, people are watching a band on the beach, we are

enjoying the light breeze and the sunshine is poking out from the

skies. I will be watching England against Italy and bringing you the

results over the weekend. If you are loving the World Cup, head to the

Newsround website for the latest goals and stories. For now, goodbye

from Rio.