Airport workers in Rio de Janeiro have declared a 24-hour strike at the main destination for football fans travelling to Brazil on the day the World Cup kicks off.

Subway workers in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo will vote today on whether to hold further strike action tomorrow before the opening game of the World Cup.

Brazilian police and striking subway workers clashed in a central commuter station, with union officials threatening to maintain the work stoppage through the World Cup opening match on Thursday.