EDMONTON, Canada (AFP) – FIFA President Sepp Blatter sent his good wishes as the 2015 Women’s World Cup kicked off on Saturday with hosts Canada playing Group A rivals China in the opening game.

Just before the match, the 79-year-old Blatter wrote on his Twitter account: “In one hour, the 7th @FIFAWWC starts in Edmonton. Good Luck to all 24 teams. #CAN & #CHN play opening game. #FIFAWWC.”

The biggest tournament in the history of the women’s game opens with FIFA mired in corruption allegations that threaten to overshadow the four-week event.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke had been due to attend the opening ceremony but cancelled on the eve of Blatter’s shock announcement that he would step down as president.

Blatter had been scheduled to attend the closing ceremony on July 5 in Vancouver, but a FIFA spokesman could not confirm whether he would be present.

The tournament, which was first held in 1991 in China, has been expanded to 24 teams from 16 for the first time. It is also the first time in either the women’s or men’s game that an event is being played on artificial turf.

New Zealand play the Netherlands in Saturday’s second match in Edmonton with titleholders Japan opening their defence Monday in Vancouver against Switzerland.

Two-time winners Germany and the United States, both bidding for a record third title, play the Ivory Coast and Australia respectively on Sunday and Monday.

Organisers expect the tournament’s 52 matches to draw 1.5 million people at stadiums in six host cities which also include Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton.

Kick-off was preceded by a colourful 10-minute opening ceremony on front of a sea of red and white Canadian flags as some 56,000 spectators watched the game under the sunshine at the Commonwealth Stadium.

The theme of the ceremony was the empowerment and unification of women, and was told through the eyes of a little girl, a soccer player.

Canada’s Grammy-award winning international recording artist Sarah McLachlan headlined with her hit song “In Your Shoes.”

Other guests included World Cup Event Ambassador Kara Lang, who was the youngest woman to be named to Canada’s women’s team at the age of 15; Olympic and Paralympic medallist Chantal Petitclerc and five-time Olympic medallist Hayley Wickenheiser.