46
SOCCER GAME AT MARACANÃ STADIUM IN RIO
Where?
Maracanã Stadium
Rua Professor Eurico Rabelo
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When?
During football, a.k.a. soccer, season.
Significance:
Maracanã Stadium (the Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, commonly known as Estádio do Maracanã) is one of the largest and most famous football/soccer stadiums in the world. Soccer is Brazil’s national pastime bordering on obsession with Brazilians filling the Maracanã beyond its official capacity of 90,000. The finals of the 1950 championship saw 199,500 people pack into the stadium. In 1969, 183,341 fans crammed in to see Pelé make his 1,000th goal. This is a facility not just for soccer fans, but also for those who live and breathe the sport, coming to the Maracanã to worship at what has been called the “World’s Temple to Soccer.”
Brazil’s selection to host the 1950 FIFA World Cup necessitated the government to build the type of facility that would handle such an event. While construction was not complete (no bathrooms and no press stands), soccer fans filled the stadium to see Didi score the very first goal in the opening match which featured The Rio de Janeiro All-Stars defeating the São Paulo All-Stars 3-1. Today, the Maracanã hosts key games involving both local teams as well as competition between international soccer clubs.
Who attends?
Brazilian soccer fanatics that number well into the hundreds of thousands. Fans sing songs, wave flags, do cartwheels, play samba drums, and shed a tear or two.
How to get there?
The stadium is easily accessible by the metro at Maracanã Station on Line 2, or by Bus 462 or 463 from Copacabana, 461 from Ipanema, or 460 from Leblon. Taxi services are available and highly recommended following a game.
Tickets:
For secondary ticket access, consider:
GoTickets, Inc.
2345 Waukegan Road, Suite 140
Bannockburn, IL 60015-1552
Toll-Free: 1-800-775-1617
Fax: (919) 481-9101
E-mail: sales@gotickets.com
www.gotickets.comAccommodations:
Windsor Asturias Hotel
Rua Senador Dantas 14
Rio de Janeiro, 20031-203, Brazil
Phone : +55 21 2195 1500
Fax: +55 21 2195 1515
www.windsorhoteis.comNote: Near the Municipal Theater and the Museum of Modern Art. The hotel features an international restaurant and bar, outdoor pool, sauna, and a gym.Ipanema Plaza Hotel
Note: Located eight miles from the stadium, fifty meters to Ipanema Beach, and a five-minute drive to the Copacabana. Close to shops and other cultural activities.
Windsor Excelsior Hotel
Avenida Atlantica 1800
Rio De Janeiro, 22021-001, Brazil
Phone: +55 21 2195 5800
Fax: +55 21 2257 1850
www.windsorhoteis.comNote: Six miles to soccer mayhem and close to cultural options, including theaters and museums.
Sheraton Rio Hotel
Av Niemeyer 121 Leblon
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Phone:
+55 21 2274 1122
Fax +55 21 2239 5643
www.sheraton.comNote: One of two hotels that is not separated from the beach by a multilane boulevard. The ocean’s waves are close, but tend to be unruly and unpredictable.
On-Site Hospitality:
Official tours through the Maracanã are offered for roughly fifty dollars or you can just show up early during a home game. The stadium and its museum can be visited most days of the week from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. with an admission cost of just a few dollars. Ask a Portuguese speaker to call ahead to check. Burgers and beers are sold in the parking lot on game day outside the Maracanã.
Travel Packages:
If you are going to travel to this event, I would recommend using a reliable company to work with you on making the necessary arrangements. The suppliers listed in this book have solid references and are by far the most trusted in the business. Below are some of the organizations to try for this Top 100 Must See Sporting Event.
Premiere Corporate Events
14 Penn Plaza, Suite 925
New York, NY 10122
Phone: (212) 695-9480
Fax: (212) 564-8098
Toll-Free: 1-877-621-5243
E-mail: requests@tseworld.com
www.tseworld.comwww.pcevents.comPremiere Sports Travel
201 Shannon Oaks Circle, Suite 205
Cary, NC 27511
Phone: (919) 481-9511
Fax: (919) 481-1337
Toll-Free: 1-800-924-9993
E-mail: sales@sportstravel.com
www.sportstravel.comDining:
Confeitaria Colombo
Note: Authentic South American cuisine.
Doce Delicia
Note: The food is great, but Doce Delicia is better known for their pies.
Porcao Rio’s
Rua Barão da Torre, 218 (Ipanema)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Phone: +55 21 3389 8989
www.porcao.com.brNote: Get a glimpse of Brazil’s celebrity lot, including actors and soccer players. Servers make the rounds with sizzling spits of juicy beef, chicken, and pork.
Celeiro
Note: A salad bar with a variety of vegetables. The adjoining café serves snacks, sandwiches, and coffee.
Antiquarius
Note: Considered one of the best restaurants in Brazil. The chef combines traditional Portuguese dishes with exotic Brazilian spices and ingredients. Boasts an impressive wine cellar.
Airport:
Rio de Janeiro Airport
Avenida 20 de Janeiro
Ilha do Governador
Rio de Janeiro, 21942-900, Brazil
Phone: +55 21 3398 5050
www.infraero.gov.brSports Travel Insider’s Edge:
Best way to watch the action:
You have a choice to make. The white section has the best view from above, but some of the other sections have the most extreme, animated fans straining to see the action. The action in some of the sections is almost better than that on the field.
Best place to get up close:
In the stands is where the excitement never fails. Screaming and sometimes weeping fans are all around. A view of the field might be a challenge from some of the seats in this large stadium seating close to 100,000. What makes it even tougher on the view is that most people will stand and wave their hands for the entire game. You might feel like you are at a carnival and not at a soccer game with all the drumming and people partying. It makes for an incredible experience.
Best travel tip:
Try and stay away from the stadium unless it’s a game day and there are crowds of people around. The pedestrian bridge that connects the subway station with the stadium is a common place for robberies. Take the Avenue below. When you are there, dress down and make sure you know which team’s rooting area you are sitting in. That way you can buy the appropriate souvenirs before the game.
Notable Quotes:
“Today Brazil has the biggest and most perfect stadium in the world, dignifying the competence of its people and its evolution in all branches of human activity. Now we have a stage of fantastic proportions in which the whole world can admire our prestige and sporting greatness.”—A Noite newspaper
“If you ask a Brazilian what his dream is, the answer will probably be to score a goal in a World Cup Final at a packed Maracanã.”—ALEX BELLOS, author of Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life
Relevant Websites: