World Cup Brazil 2014

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.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 at 9:16 pm and is filed under stadium.