0:00:21 > 0:00:26A never-ending mass of concrete as far as the eye can see,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Brazil's financial centre, industrial heart,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31and South America's largest city.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Brazil's World Cup begins here.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Have a look. Sao Paulo is massive.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54A jungle of skyscrapers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Moving about isn't easy.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00The few who can, fly by helicopter.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Down there, it's chaos.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17TRANSLATION: The best way to get around is on a motorbike,
0:01:17 > 0:01:18but don't break the speed limit!
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Sometimes Sao Paulo feels very un-Brazilian.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Take the area of Liberdade,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29with its striking Asian population.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31The city is highly cosmopolitan.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37It's considered gay-friendly, but recently homophobic attacks
0:01:37 > 0:01:39have been on the rise.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42To help change attitudes,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46the city's authorities have hired a group of drag queens.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51TRANSLATION: Drags are the only part of the gay community
0:01:51 > 0:01:55that doesn't suffer prejudice, cos we're funny, colourful like clowns,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59but when we take off our masks we suffer like any other gay person.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04In this poor community, a small samba school has chosen
0:02:04 > 0:02:08the fight against homophobia as the theme for the next Carnival.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11And Chaka as the queen of the parade.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Sao Paulo is a tough city.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31It keeps you on your toes,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34but there's always ways to release the pressure.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41In a traditionally male-dominated sport,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44women have knocked the gender divide aside,
0:02:44 > 0:02:49helping make multiple martial arts a national passion.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51TRANSLATION: Sao Paulo is a sexist city.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Women need to work hard here.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Although many sports are growing, Brazil is a football factory.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09This is Sao Paulo Football Club Training Academy.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11It's like a military barracks.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16200 trainees live, eat, study, sleep on-site,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18but the selection process is brutal.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25TRANSLATION: I came here when I was 13,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28chosen from a group of 13,000 teenagers.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32My routine is not normal, but I do have a little time to meet girls.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Obviously, I think about helping my family financially,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38but mostly I want football to be enjoyable.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43- TRANSLATION:- Here, people give too much importance to football,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45but Brazil has other sports.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53Sao Paulo is a city that embraces everyone and every cause.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Paulistas work hard, play hard.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01It might not be the prettiest,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05but there is no better stage to kick off the beautiful game.