Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho or commonly known as the Maracanã Stadium is situated in Rio De Janerio. The stadium was originally built to host football matches. However, it has also hosted many musical concerts and other sports. Following several renovations and the conversion of terraces into seating, Maracanã's capacity has been reduced from its historic level. With a commonly cited capacity of 73,139, it remains Brazil's largest stadium and ranks third in South America. This stadium is owned by the Rio de Janeiro State Government. It was designed by famous architects of the era; Waldir Ramos, Miguel Feldman, Oscar Valdetaro, Raphael Galvao, Antonio Dias Carneiro, Orlando Azevedo and Pedro Paulo B Bastos. Maracanã is the home ground for the clubs Fluminense and Flamengo since its inception. The stadium is part of a complex that includes an arena known as Maracanãzinho, which means "Little Maracanã" in Portuguese. It is located in the Maracanã area, named after Rio Maracanã, now a canalized river in Rio de Janeiro.
Opened for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, Maracanã hosted Brazil's 2–1 defeat to Uruguay before an officially recorded crowd of 199,854. Successive renovations and the replacement of terraces with seats reduced its capacity. The stadium's club-attendance record remains 194,603 for the 1963 Fla–Flu derby.
Maracanã was renovated for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup, hosting the latter's final. It held the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics, as well as the Copa América finals in 2019 and 2021 and Copa Libertadores finals in 2020 and 2023. It will also host matches at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Trivia
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The stadium witnessed the record attendance of 199,854 in the inaugural match, making it world’s largest stadium regarding capacity when inaugurated.
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The stadium was opened to host the FIFA World Cup in 1950. The deciding game was played between Uruguay and Brazil where Brazil lost by 2-1.
