Maracanã

In the north of Rio de Janeiro stands one of the most famous football grounds on Earth. Its official name is Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, after a sports journalist who campaigned for it, but everyone calls it the Maracanã, after the small river that flows nearby.

Built for a World Cup

The stadium opened on 16 June 1950, just in time for the World Cup that Brazil hosted that year. The last match of the tournament became one of the most famous games in history. Brazil needed only a draw, but Uruguay won 2–1 in front of an official crowd of 199,854 people. In Brazil the day is still remembered as the “Maracanazo”.

A second final

More than sixty years later the Maracanã hosted the World Cup final again. On 13 July 2014, Germany beat Argentina 1–0 after extra time. Two years later the stadium held the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics, as well as the Olympic football finals.

Today

After several renovations, the last one for the 2014 World Cup, the Maracanã is an all-seater stadium with room for 73,139 fans. It belongs to the state of Rio de Janeiro, and Flamengo and Fluminense play most of their home matches here.

Visiting tips

• Stadium tours take you into the dressing rooms and out to the pitch side.
• A derby between two Rio clubs is the loudest way to experience the stadium.
• The stadium has its own metro and train stations.

Stadium sheet

City

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Opened

16 June 1950

Capacity

73,139

Record crowd

199,854 (official, 1950 final)

World Cup finals

1950 and 2014

Home clubs

Flamengo, Fluminense