Brazil's preparations to host the 2014 World Cup have gathered speed with the opening on Friday, Dec 21 of the second of the 12 stadiums destined to hold matches during the tournament, Reuters reported.

President Dilma Rousseff formally inaugurated the rebuilt Mineirгo stadium in Belo Horizonte, less than a week after cutting the ribbon at the Castelгo stadium in Fortaleza.

Tens of thousands of fans are expected to visit the Mineirгo in the coming days to see a stadium that took almost three years to refurbish at a cost of 695 million Brazilian reais.

The Mineirгo is one of Brazil's best-known stadiums and in being delivered on time and on budget is a benchmark for the other 10 stadiums under construction.

The 62,160 capacity Mineirгo will host three games during the 2013 Confederations Cup and six during the 2014 World Cup, including one of the semi-finals.