The
Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, commonly called
Estádio do Maracanã ("Maracanã stadium"), is an open-air stadium in
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and...
,
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
. Owned by the
Rio de Janeiro State GovernmentRio de Janeiro is one of the 26 states of Brazil.It is located in the Brazilian geopolitical region of the Southeast and its boundaries, all of them with other Brazilian states in the Southeast region , are with Minas Gerais ,...
, it is named after the
Maracanã neighbourhoodMaracanã is a neighborhood located in the Northern Zone of Rio de Janeiro city. The Maracanã Stadium is located in this neighborhood, as well as the Ginásio do Maracanãzinho...
in Rio de Janeiro. It was opened in 1950 to host the
FIFA World CupThe 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup, and the first staged in 12 years due to World War II. Brazil was chosen as the host country by FIFA in July 1946. It was also the first tournament that the trophy itself would be referred to as the Jules...
. Since then, it has mainly been used for football matches between the major football clubs in Rio de Janeiro, including
BotafogoEstrela Solitária and
O Glorioso | founded = 1904 | ground = Engenhão, Rio de Janeiro | capacity = 45,000| chairman = Maurício Assumpção | manager = Estevam Soares| mgrtitle = Head coach|...
,
FlamengoClube de Regatas do Flamengo is a Brazilian multisport club located in Rio de Janeiro.Despite not being the club's official name, Flamengo has become the term used by most to refer not just to the football team, but also the entire sporting association...
,
FluminenseFluminense Football Club is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in the beginning of the 20th century as a single-sport institution, Fluminense is today an umbrella organization for several teams in more than 16 different sport activities. The most popular endeavour of Fluminense,...
and Vasco da Gama. It has also hosted a number of concerts and other sporting events. Although the paid attendance at the final game of the
1950 FIFA World CupThe 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup, and the first staged in 12 years due to World War II. Brazil was chosen as the host country by FIFA in July 1946. It was also the first tournament that the trophy itself would be referred to as the Jules...
was 199,854, the stadium currently seats 88,992 spectators. Despite the reduction in capacity, it remains
the largest stadium in South America.
It is due to host the World Cup Final in the
2014 World CupThe 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th World Cup, an international tournament for football, that is expected to take place between June and July 2014 in Brazil....
, becoming the second stadium to host football's most important match twice after the
Estadio AztecaEstadio Azteca is a stadium in Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América....
in
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
The stadium will also be the centrepiece of the 2016 Olympic Games as the site of the opening and closing ceremonies and the football matches.
Construction
After winning the right to host the
1950 FIFA World CupThe 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup, and the first staged in 12 years due to World War II. Brazil was chosen as the host country by FIFA in July 1946. It was also the first tournament that the trophy itself would be referred to as the Jules...
, the Brazilian government sought to build a new stadium for the tournament. The plans for the stadium were drawn up by seven Brazilian architects, Miguel Feldman, Waldir Ramos, Raphael Galvão, Oscar Valdetaro, Orlando Azevedo, Antônio Dias Carneiro and Pedro Paulo Bernardes Bastos. The first stone was laid at the site of the stadium on August 2, 1948. With the first World Cup game scheduled to be played on June 24, 1950, this left little under two years to finish building. However, work quickly fell behind schedule, prompting FIFA to send Dr.
Ottorino BarassiDr. Ing. Ottorino Barassi was an Italian sports official.The first action of his career was to help organise the 1934 FIFA World Cup, which was played in his native Italy. His notability in World Cup history continued, as Italy won the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France...
, the head of the Italian FA, who had organized the
1934 World CupThe 1934 FIFA World Cup, or the World's Cup as it was known then, was the second football World Cup staged, and hosted by Italy from 27 May to 10 June. Italy was chosen as hosts by FIFA the Berlin congress of October 1932. It was the first World Cup for which teams would have to qualify in order to...
to help in Rio de Janeiro.
Opening
The opening match of the stadium took place on June 16, 1950. Rio de Janeiro All-Stars beat São Paulo All-Stars 3-1;
DidiWaldyr Pereira , nicknamed Didi, was a Brazilian football midfield player who played in three World Cups: 1954, 1958, and 1962, winning the latter two. He is considered to be one of the greatest midfielders ever...
became the player to score the first ever goal at the stadium. Despite hosting a match, the stadium was still unfinished. It lacked toilet facilities and a press stand, and still looked like a building site. It was said that the stadium could house 200,000 standing spectators, making it one of the largest stadiums in the world at the time. Despite being unfinished, FIFA allowed matches to be played at the venue, and on June 24, 1950, the first World Cup match took place.
BrazilThe Brazil national football team is the national team of Brazil and is managed by the Brazilian Football Confederation that represents Brazil in international football competitions. They are the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, with five championships...
beat
MexicoThe Mexico national football team represents Mexico in international football competition and is managed by the Mexican Football Federation Association...
with a final score 4-0, with
AdemirAdemir Marques de Menezes , best known as Ademir, was a Brazilian football player, regarded as one of the best centre forwards in the history of the Brazil national team. His prominent jawbone earned him the nickname Queixada, which means "Jaw".He is best known for his exploits in the World Cup...
becoming the first scorer of a competitive goal at the stadium with his 30th minute strike. 81,000 spectators attended the game. Eventually, Brazil progressed to the final round, facing
UruguayThe Uruguay national football team represents Uruguay in international football competition and is controlled by the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol....
in the final match of the tournament on July 16, 1950. Brazil only needed a draw to finish top of the group, but Uruguay won the game 2-1, shocking the thousands who attended the game. This match has since been known as the "Maracanazo". The official attendance of the game was 199,854, with the actual attendance estimated to be about 210,000.
Post World Cup years
On March 21, 1954 a new official attendance record was set in the game between Brazil and
ParaguayThe Paraguay national football team is the national team of Paraguay and is controlled by the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol. The Paraguay national football team has reached the second round of the World Cup on three occasions but has never advanced beyond that stage...
, after 183,513 spectators entered the stadium with a ticket and 177.656 in
Fla-FluFla-Flu is a football matchup between cross-town rivals Flamengo and Fluminense. Matches take place in the 95,000-seat Maracanã Stadium, located near downtown Rio, in the city's Maracanã district...
(1963). In 1963, stadium authorities replaced the square goal posts with round ones, but it was still two years before the stadium would be fully completed. In 1965, 17 years after construction began, the stadium was finally finished.
Since the World Cup left Brazil in 1950, the Maracanã Stadium has mainly been used for club games involving four major football clubs in
RioRio de Janeiro is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and...
—
VascoClub de Regatas Vasco da Gama, usually known as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a famous and traditional Brazilian multisports club from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898...
,
BotafogoEstrela Solitária and
O Glorioso | founded = 1904 | ground = Engenhão, Rio de Janeiro | capacity = 45,000| chairman = Maurício Assumpção | manager = Estevam Soares| mgrtitle = Head coach|...
,
FlamengoClube de Regatas do Flamengo is a Brazilian multisport club located in Rio de Janeiro.Despite not being the club's official name, Flamengo has become the term used by most to refer not just to the football team, but also the entire sporting association...
and
FluminenseFluminense Football Club is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in the beginning of the 20th century as a single-sport institution, Fluminense is today an umbrella organization for several teams in more than 16 different sport activities. The most popular endeavour of Fluminense,...
. The stadium has also hosted numerous domestic football cup finals, most notably the
Copa do BrasilThe Copa do Brasil is a knockout competition played by 64 football teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. From 2001 onwards, due to the busy schedule in the first semester in Brazil, teams playing in the Copa Libertadores have not been allowed to participate in the...
and the
Campeonato CariocaThe Campeonato Carioca, also known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, is the football league of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is one of the most prestigious national football tournaments...
.
In September 1966, Mário Filho, a Brazilian journalist, columnist and sports figure, died, leading to the administrators of the stadium renaming the stadium after him to
Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho. However, the nickname of
Maracanã continued to be used. Mario Filho was a prominent campaigner who was largely responsible for the stadium originally being built. In 1969,
PeléEdison Arantes do Nascimento , , best known by his nickname Pelé is a Brazilian football player. He was given the title "Athlete of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee...
scored the 1,000th goal of his career at the Maracanã against
VascoDom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
in front of 125,000 spectators. In 1989,
ZicoArthur Antunes Coimbra , better known as Zico , is a Brazilian coach and former footballer. Often called the White Pelé, he is commonly considered one of the most skilled dribblers and finishers ever and possibly the world's best player of the early 80's...
scored his final goal for
FlamengoFlamengo is the name of a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.It is the Portuguese word for Flemish, and it was given to the nearby beach because it is believed that a Belgian owned the lands in colonial times. It is located between the Centro and Botafogo districts on the edge of Guanabara Bay...
at the Maracanã, taking his goal tally at the stadium to 333, a record that still stands as of 2007.
Modern day
On July 19, 1992, an upper stand in the stadium collapsed, leading to the death of three supporters and 50 more being injured. Following the disaster, the stadium's capacity was greatly reduced as it was converted to an all-seater stadium in the late 1990s. Despite this, the ground was classified as
real estateReal estate is a legal term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings, specifically property that is fixed in location.
"Real estate" The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin...
in 1998, meaning that it could not be demolished. The stadium hosted the first ever
FIFA Club World Cup final matchThe 2000 FIFA Club World Championship was the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship held in Brazil from 5 January to 14 January 2000.-Qualifying teams:The clubs that qualified for the tournament were:-Squads:...
between
Vasco da GamaClub de Regatas Vasco da Gama, usually known as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a famous and traditional Brazilian multisports club from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898...
and
CorinthiansSport Club Corinthians Paulista, a Brazilian sports club, based in São Paulo, São Paulo State, Brazil, most known for its football team, is the most traditional and popular Brazilian multisport club...
, which Corinthians won on
penaltiesPenalty shootouts, properly named kicks from the penalty mark, are a method sometimes used to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a draw in a game of association football...
.
Following its 50th anniversary in 2000, the stadium underwent renovations which would increase its full capacity to around 103,000. After years of planning and nine months of closure between 2005 and 2006, the stadium was reopened in January 2007 with an all-seated capacity of 88,992.
The stadium is part of a complex that includes a
gymnasiumGinásio do Maracanãzinho, sometimes called just Maracanãzinho, is a modern indoor arena located in Maracanã neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Its formal name, Ginásio Gilberto Cardoso, honors a former Clube de Regatas do Flamengo president. The capacity of the arena is 12,600 for Indoor...
known by the name of
Maracanãzinho, which stands for "the little Maracanã".
Non-footballing events
- Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła served as Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death almost 27 years later. His was the second-longest pontificate; only Pope Pius IX served longer...
celebrated masses at the stadium on more than one occasion.
- To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the stadium, on January 26, 1981, Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
performed to a crowd of 150,000.
- Both in 1980 and in 1983, volleyball
Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules...
matches between Brazil and the USSR played at the ground.
- Both Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have earned her the title "The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
and Paul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE , is an English singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record and film producer, painter, and animal rights and peace activist. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings, McCartney is the most successful songwriter in the history of popular music...
made the Guiness Book of Records with figures for "Largest Paying Crowd to See a Single Performer" for concerts at the stadium - in 1988 (Break Every Rule TourThe Break Every Rule Tour is the second worldwide concert tour by music icon Tina Turner. The tour supported her second album Break Every Rule. It was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola and broke box office records in 13 different countries...
) and April 1990 (Flowers in the DirtFlowers in the Dirt is an album by Paul McCartney, released in 1989. It was considered a major return upon release for McCartney due to the fact that he was embarking on his first world tour since the Wings Over the World jaunt back in 1975/1976...
world tour), respectively. Although the exact numbers are disputed, both performances attracted over 180,000 people.
- From January 18 to 27, 1991, the stadium hosted the second edition of Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio is a series of rock festivals held in Brazil and later in Portugal and Spain. Future festivals are planned in Poznań Three incarnations of the festival were in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991 and 2001, three in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006 and 2008, and one in Madrid in 2008. The shows were...
, with PrincePrince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
, Guns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has gone through numerous line-up changes and controversies since its formation...
, George MichaelGeorgios Kyriacos Panayiotou , best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning, English singer-songwriter, who has had a career as frontman of the duo Wham! as well as a soul-influenced, solo pop musician...
, INXS----INXS achieved international success with a series of hit recordings through the 1980s and 1990s, including the albums Listen Like Thieves, Kick, X and Welcome to Wherever You Are and the singles "Original Sin", "Need You Tonight", "Devil Inside" and "New Sensation".Hutchence died in 1997 and...
, a-haa-ha is a synthpop/-rock band from Norway, formed in 1982. The group initially rose to fame during the 1980s and has had continued success in the 1990s and 2000s.a-ha achieved its biggest success with their debut album and single in 1985...
and New Kids on the BlockNew Kids on the Block is an American pop group that enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a boy band which went on to sell 80 million albums worldwide. Assembled in Boston in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr, the members consist of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre,...
as headliners.
- The January 1995 edition of the Hollywood Rock
Hollywood Rock was a music festival which took place in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, from 1988 to 1996. The festival was sponsored and organised by the Souza Cruz tobacco company, owners of the Hollywood cigarette brand...
festival consisted of two successive concerts by the Rolling Stones at the stadium.
- On July 13, 2007, the stadium hosted the opening ceremonies
The Opening Ceremony of the XV Pan American Games took place on 13 July 2007. Considered an audition for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, the Opening Ceremony was praised by the media for its creativity and Olympic-style production value...
of the XV Pan American GamesThe 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, is a major international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007 and followed by the 2007 Parapan American Games from August 12 to August 19...
.
- Sting and Madonna
Madonna is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance...
are the only international popstars to have played dates at Maracanã on distinct occasions. Sting opened his ...Nothing Like the Sun…Nothing Like the Sun is a 1987 double album by Sting. The title comes from Shakespeare's Sonnet #130 , which Sting used in the song "Sister Moon"...
world tour at the stadium on November 20, 1987. Approximately 20 years later, on December 8, 2007, he performed there again with The PoliceThe Police were an English rock trio, from London, England, formed originally in 1977. The trio consisted of Gordon Sumner, CBE , widely known by his stage name of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
. Madonna played the venue on November 6, 1993, with the Girlie Show spectacle, and then again on December 14 and 15, 2008, as part of the Sticky & Sweet TourThe Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth worldwide concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna to support her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was Madonna's first major venture from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation, following the Hard Candy Promo Tour...
.
- Kiss
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972. Easily identified by its members' trademark face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid and late-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, RushRush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, Backstreet BoysThe Backstreet Boys are a Grammy-nominated American vocal group. They were launched by boy band producer Lou Pearlman, and have been together since April 20, 1993...
and RBDRBD was a two time Latin-Grammy nominated Mexican pop group that gained popularity from Televisa's teen drama series Rebelde. RBD sold over 20 million albums worldwide in four years since their formation, according to EMI...
also played the venue. Rush's concert is documented on their live album Rush in RioRush in Rio is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 2003 . The album is also available as a two DVD set. The album was recorded at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and was the final concert on the Vapor Trails Tour. However, the third CD contains two bonus tracks played previously on...
. Brazilian artists also played at the stadium, like Ivete SangaloIvete Sangalo is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazilian Axé and MPB singer, songwriter, and occasional actress and television show host. Sangalo is of paternal Spanish descent...
, Sandy & JuniorSandy & Junior was a Brazilian pop music duo consisting of sister Sandy Leah Lima and brother Durval de Lima Junior . They have one albums among the 10 best-sellers ever in Brazil...
and, most recently, Roberto CarlosRoberto Carlos Braga is a Grammy Award-winning Brazilian singer, who has achieved a great deal of success and recognition in his 50 year career....
.
- The stadium will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
.
External links
Official Maracanã website