Maracanã Stadium

Estádio do Maracanã, whose official name is Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, sits in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã neighborhood. The Rio de Janeiro state government owns it, while Flamengo and Fluminense manage it. The stadium is part of a larger complex that includes Maracanãzinho, an arena primarily used for volleyball. Opened in 1950 for the FIFA World Cup, the stadium witnessed Brazil’s 2–1 loss to Uruguay in the decisive match on 16 July 1950, before a still-standing record crowd of 210,850.

It has hosted 26 attendances of 150,000 or more and 284 crowds exceeding 100,000. After terraced sections were replaced with seats and following renovations for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, its capacity dropped to 73,139. Even so, it remains Brazil’s largest stadium and South America’s third largest, behind Argentina’s Estadio Monumental and Peru’s Estadio Monumental. The all-time club attendance record belongs to Fluminense and Flamengo, with 194,603 spectators at the famous Fla–Flu derby in 1963.

The stadium is mainly used for football matches involving Rio’s major clubs—Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense, and Vasco da Gama—and has also hosted concerts and other sports events. It was the main venue for the 2007 Pan American Games, hosting football, the opening ceremony, and the closing ceremony. Maracanã was partially rebuilt for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, where it held several matches, including the final. It is scheduled to host matches during the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

It served as the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, while track and field events took place at Estádio Olímpico. The stadium hosted the finals of the 2019 and 2021 Copa América, and was chosen for the 2020 and 2023 Copa Libertadores finals. In 1966, the stadium was named after Mário Filho, a Pernambucan sports journalist and brother of Nelson Rodrigues, who had strongly supported its construction.

The popular name “Maracanã” comes from the Maracanã River, which originates in jungle-covered hills to the west and crosses several neighborhoods in Rio’s Zona Norte—such as Tijuca and São Cristóvão—via a concrete drainage canal before flowing into the Canal do Mangue and then Guanabara Bay. “Maracanã” derives from the indigenous Tupi word for a type of parrot that once lived in the region. The stadium was built before the Maracanã neighborhood existed; the area was originally part of Tijuca.

Red Star Belgrade’s stadium, the Red Star Stadium, is popularly called Marakana in honor of the Brazilian venue. In March 2021, the Rio de Janeiro state legislature voted to change the name to Edson Arantes do Nascimento – Rei Pelé stadium. Edson Arantes do Nascimento was the 82-year-old’s full name, while “Rei” means king in Portuguese. The change requires approval from the Rio de Janeiro state governor to become official.

After Brazil won the right to host the 1950 FIFA World Cup, the government decided to build a new stadium. Congressman Carlos Lacerda, a political enemy of mayor Ângelo Mendes de Morais, criticized the expense and the chosen location, arguing the stadium should be built in the West Zone neighborhood of Jacarepaguá. A tennis stadium then occupied the selected site. Journalist Mário Filho supported the project, and Mendes de Morais pushed it forward.

The municipality of Rio de Janeiro opened a design and construction competition in 1947, awarding the contract to engineers Humberto Menescal, Michael Feldman, Waldir Ramos, Raphael Galvão, Oscar Valdetaro, Orlando Azevedo, Pedro Paulo Bernardes Bastos, and Antônio Dias Carneiro. The first cornerstone was laid on 2 August 1948. With the first World Cup match scheduled for 24 June 1950, less than two years remained to finish construction. Work quickly fell behind schedule, so FIFA sent Ottorino Barassi, head of the Italian FA and organizer of the 1934 World Cup, to help in Rio.

A workforce of 1,500 built the stadium, with an additional 2,000 working in the final months. Although the stadium came into use in 1950, construction was not fully completed until 1965. The stadium’s opening match took place on 16 June 1950. A Rio de Janeiro All-Stars team beat São Paulo All-Stars 3–1, with Didi scoring the first goal ever at the venue.

Though the main part of the stadium was finished, it still resembled a construction site, lacking toilet facilities and a press box. Brazilian officials claimed it could seat over 200,000; the Guinness Book of World Records estimated 180,000; other sources put capacity at 155,000. What is certain is that Maracanã overtook Hampden Park as the world’s largest stadium. Despite its incomplete state, FIFA allowed matches to be played there, and on 24 June 1950, the first World Cup match took place with 81,000 spectators.