Place to see: Maracanã stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

About this place:

If you are going to watch a soccer game, Maracana is the place to come!

The official stadium name is the Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, but it is commonly called Estádio do Maracanã. Once, it was the largest stadium in the world, seating just over 200,000 spectators. Stadium is owned by the Rio de Janeiro State Government and is named after the Maracanã neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro.

It was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup. Since then, it has mainly been used for football matches between the major football clubs in Rio de Janeiro, including Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo 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 Cup was 199,500, the stadium currently seats 95,000 spectators. Even though the number of seats has been decreased, Maracana remains the largest stadium in South America, and the eleventh largest in the world.

It is due to host the World Cup Final in the 2014 World Cup, becoming the second stadium to host football's most important match twice after the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.