Maracanã

Rio de Janeiro's giant football stadium, run by Flamengo and Fluminense and home of the Fla-Flu.

via Wikipedia: Maracanã Stadium · see source

The Estádio do Maracanã, officially Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, is a football stadium in the Maracanã neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. The state government owns it, and Flamengo and Fluminense manage it. Seating now holds 73,139, which keeps it the largest stadium in Brazil. Beyond club football it has staged the 2014 World Cup final, the ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, and Copa Libertadores finals in 2020 and 2023.

Quick Facts

Full name

Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho

Former names

Estádio Municipal (1950–1966)

Location

Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Public transit

Maracanã Station
SuperVia train services
Metrô Rio line 2

Owner

Rio de Janeiro State Government

Operator

Flamengo and Fluminense

Capacity

73,139

Record attendance

173,850 (officially)

Facts from the source article.

Background

Rio won the right to host the 1950 World Cup, and Mayor Ângelo Mendes de Morais pushed the stadium through despite attacks from Carlos Lacerda over its cost and site. Journalist Mário Filho backed it. The cornerstone went down on 2 August 1948, and a workforce of 1,500, joined by another 2,000 near the end, raced to finish. The first game, on 16 June 1950, saw Rio de Janeiro All-Stars beat São Paulo All-Stars 3-1, with Didi scoring the first goal. Brazil then lost the decisive match to Uruguay 2-1, a shock remembered as the Maracanazo. Construction was only completed in 1965, and in 1966 the ground was renamed for Mário Filho.

Did You Know?

Pelé scored the 1,000th goal of his career here in 1969 against CR Vasco da Gama.
Red Star Belgrade's stadium is nicknamed Marakana in its honour.
Crowds of more than 100,000 have filled it as many as 284 times.
In March 2021 the state legislature voted to rename it after Edson Arantes do Nascimento - Rei Pele.