World Cup Brazil 2014

Rio de Janeiro is one of the host cities of the World Cup 2014; the schedule of matches wasn’t announced yet, but it is very likely that Maracanã, the largest stadium in Rio, be chosen as the stage for the final match of the Cup.

Rio de Janeiro, or Rio (the name means River of January), is the city in Brazil most known abroad (São Paulo receives more foreign visitors than any other city in Brazil, but most visitors come for business purposes, rather than tourism).

There a few reasons to explain this fame of Rio. First off, Rio was capital of Brazil from 1763 until 1960 (before Rio, Salvador was the capital; after Rio, Brasilia became capital); over nearly two centuries, Rio was the economic, cultural, administrative and diplomatic center of Brazil, attracting most of the international visitors who came to the country.

And going back home, these visitors had a lot to say about the wonders of Rio. The city has a natural scenery which few, if any, other cities in the world can match: tepid beaches with white sand (Copacabana and Ipanema being the most famous), a tranquil bay (Guanabara Bay), a placid lagoon (Rodrigo de Freitas), rocky peaks (Corcovado and Pão de Açúcar being the most known), preserved forests (Tijuca).

And all of this is framed by tropical weather, with sun and mild temperatures all year round, and a constant breeze blowing from the sea. Very few cities in the world can afford a view as beautiful as seen below, from behind the Christ statue, at the top of Corcovado (photo by the Brazilian Travel Authority):

On top of the natural wonders, there are the  wonderful people. Of course, in Rio there is poverty, violence, pollution. The cariocas (as people from the city of Rio are called) were considered the friendliest people in the world a few years ago; and more recently the city was elected the top Gay destination in the world – not a surprise for all who visited Rio and knew the high tolerance of cariocas towards any diversity: sexual, religious, ethnic, etc.

People in Rio enjoy life. The teams in the State are not the ones with most  winnings, but the fans in Rio are the most passionate in Brazil. No other city in Brazil has beaches as lively as those in Rio. New Year Celebration in Rio is probably one of the best in the world; why would somebody wait four hours in New York, under a freezing cold, to watch a ball coming down, when they can have a party like this?

And we didn’t even start to talk about the Carnival in Rio, which is simply dubbed as the Greatest Show on Earth.

Of course, this combination of cultural heritage, nice environment and friendly people created, over the years, a touristic infrastructure which ranks among the best in Brazil: hotels, restaurants, museums, city tours, theatres, travel agencies, and anything else a visitor may need, are always at hand. A good source of information is Rio official site.

Now that the host cities of the World Cup 2014 were announced, the stadia that will stage the matches are also defined; every host city had to present a project of stadium, which should meet FIFA’s requirements about capacity, security, parking space, etc.

In Rio de Janeiro, the stadium will be Maracanã, the biggest in Brazil. FIFA said that the stadium which will host the final match of the 2014 World Cup will be announced in 2010 only, but it is almost certain that it will be Maracanã. Maracanã was the stadium where Brazil lost the World Cup 1950; that episode became known as Maracanazo. Maracanã is a public stadium; it was recently refurbished for the Pan American Games 2007, but will have to undergo another major changes to adjust to FIFA’s demands.

In São Paulo, the stadium will be Morumbi; Morumbi is a private stadium, belonging to Sao Paulo FC, the Brazilian team with most world titles (three times) and most Brazilian titles (six times).

The venue in Belo Horizonte will be Mineirão, built and maintained by the Government of the State.

In Brasilia, the stadium Mané Garrincha will be refurbished.

São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Brasília want to host the starting match of the Cup; São Paulo is the natural favorite, but there are doubts whether São Paulo FC will make the necessary investments to bring Morumbi to standards.

In Porto Alegre, the stadium will be Beira-Rio, which belongs to Sport Club Internacional (world champion in 2006). There was a fierce competition between Beira-Rio and the Olympic Stadium, which belongs to Grêmio, the other major team in Porto Alegre.

In Curitiba, the stadium will be Arena da Baixada, one of most modern stadiums in Brazil; even so, the arena requires also major working to become ready. This stadium belongs to Clube Atlético Paranaense, nicknamed Furacão (Hurricane), Brazilian champion of 2001.

Morumbi, Beira-Rio and Arena da Baixada are the only three private stadia which will host games in the World Cup 2014; all other 19 stadia belong to either the city or the State where they are located.

In Salvador, the Fonte Nova, which has been closed since 2007, when part of the stadium collpsed, will be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up. In Natal, current stadium Machadão will also be demolished, and a new Arena das Dunas will be built (rumors go that the FIFA comission would have found the project of Arena das Dunas the most beautiful among all the host cities – see image below).

In Fortaleza, current stadium Castelão will be remodeled. In Cuiabá, current stadium Verdão (the Big Green) will be rebuilt. Likewise, in Manaus, current stadium Vivaldão will be remodeled.

Recife will be the only host city where a new stadium will be built. A complex called Cidade da Copa (City of the Cup) will be built in the city of São Lourenço da Mata, in the metropolitan area of Recife.