Finally the moment of truth is here and 32 nations, fired by the big dream to be monarchs of the world, embark on a tortuous journey to make it happen.
In Brazil's biggest city of Sao Paulo yesterday, the acknowledged exponents of football in its most romantic form-Brazil-and Croatia set the ball rolling in the grand adventure to determine who have the world at their feet.
It's going to be a difficult exercise of separating the finest from also-rans at a tournament that is very high on magic because it is being staged in Brazil.
Football's great minds have started making their calculations as to how the battle of who is who will shape up, with almost all of them playing down any African display capable of capturing global attention.
They only give Nigeria and Cote D'Ivoire any chance of progressing to the next stage of the competition on account of the relatively manageable groups they find themselves in.
However, the possibility of Africa continuing with its respectable showing at Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010, courtesy Ghana, can't be discounted. The indomitable African spirit could be on the rise one more time.
The Black Stars, after suffering a 0-1 defeat to The Netherlands in their first pre-tournament international friendly, bounced back in remarkable fashion to beat South Korea 4-0 in Florida in the United States last Monday.
It's a massive win that has boosted the confidence of Ghanaians ahead of the Stars' opening game against the United States. But rather than allow this to turn their heads out of control, the Stars should tread cautiously in order not to be caught off-guard when it matters most.
There is no denying the fact that the Stars will be put to an unusual test of character in the first match against the US. Passing that test via a win will no doubt give the Stars the much-needed boost to tackle the assignments against Germany and Portugal which Ghanaians deem to be more difficult.
Failing it on the other hand could spell big trouble for the team as the outcome of the two other group matches may adversely be affected.
Once again I reiterate my strong conviction that the outcome of the game against the US will define the fate of the Stars at Brazil 2014. This means anything less than a win could mark the end of a dream.
As the stars go into battle against the US, it is imperative they never lose sight of the stakes, for which reason everything should be geared towards one goal: victory. It is not going to be easy at all but it can be done.
The American team is still a solid side, but an effective game plan by coach Kwasi Appiah, coupled with the ability of the players to get over worrying avoidable mistakes, can boost the team's chance of telling another great story in Brazil.
