World Cup Murals Take Over Brazil's Streets

Graffiti expresses artists' love/hate relationship with the championship.

ByABC News

June 9, 2014, 11:54 AM

A boy walks past a wall in front of a mural outside the FIFA Fan Fest on Copacabana Beach on June 1, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

June 9, 2014 -- With the world turning its attention to Brazil on Thursday for the 2014 World Cup, street artists are using colorful, large-scale murals to highlight a community divided by its love of soccer and frustration with excessive spending devoted to the championship.

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An assortment of images are captured below:

PHOTO: People walk past a graffiti painted by Brazilian street artist Paulo Ito on the entrance of a public schoolhouse in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 23, 2014. — People walk past a graffiti painted by Brazilian street artist Paulo Ito on the entrance of a public schoolhouse in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 23, 2014. A picture of the graffiti depicting a starving child with nothing to eat but a football has been shared more than 50,000 times on Facebook.

Some residents have balked at the cost of the 2014 Fifa World Cup, estimated to approach $11 billion.

A boy leans on a mural with the portraits of famous football players at Tavares Bastos favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 21, 2014.

Expenditures have included drones, robots and improved infrastructure.

View of a mural paint depicting the final match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup, Brazil vs Uruguay, in Rio de Janeiro on April 8, 2014, Brazil.

This will also be the first World Cup with goal-line technology.

A woman and her baby walk in the streets of the Cantagalo favela, next to Copacabana on April 23, 2014, in Rio de Janeiro.

The 2014 Fifa World Cup marks the second time Brazil has hosted the championship. It beat out 16 other cities for the honor.

A wall decorated with a mural depicting children playing soccer at street in a favela stands in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 27, 2014.

Brazil is considered the most expensive World Cup team, with an estimated market value of 507.8 million euros, according to Pluri Consultoria.

PHOTO: A wall decorated with a mural depicting Brazilian soccer player Hulk, stands in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 27, 2014. — A wall decorated with a mural depicting Brazilian soccer player Hulk, stands in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 27, 2014.

The Maracana arena will become the second stadium to host two World Cup Finals, joining Mexico City’s Azteca.

A mural that lists many wants including better quality health care, peace, freedom, homes and transportation, adorns a sidewalk in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 21, 2014.

Brazil's passion for soccer has led it to win a total of five World Cup championships, more than any other nation to date.

PHOTO: A mural of Brazilian soccer player Neymar, right, and others cover a wall by a bus stop in Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 26, 2014. — A mural of Brazilian soccer player Neymar, right, and others cover a wall by a bus stop in Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 26, 2014.

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