Saturday, 7 June 2014 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: South America / Südamerika Category/Kategorie: General, SportReading Time: 35minutes
The World Cup is scheduled to take place at 12 venues from 12 June to 13 July 2014. Off the 12 stadiums, seven are new and five are newly renovated venues. Overall 64 World Cup matches will be played in the stadiums.
The opening match between Brazil and Portugal will be held in Arena Corinthians in Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo. Due to the request of at least 65,000 seats for the World Cup opening match, 19,800 temporary seats will be added to the stadium for the tournament. Aníbal Coutinho designed the stadium to be “a stadium that would help the supporters, that would help the team to win matches, I wanted to make the supporters get on the pitch”. Aníbal leads a team of 25 architects. Arena Corinthians will be one of the venues of the 2016 Summer Olympics Football Tournament. Stadium’s website: Arena Corinthians.
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city proper in the southern hemisphere, in the Americas, and the world’s seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among the ten largest metropolitan areas in the world. São Paulo is the capital of the State of São Paulo, Brazil’s most populous state. It exerts strong regional influence in commerce, finance, arts and entertainment and a strong international influence. People from the city of São Paulo are known as paulistanos, while paulistas designates anyone from the surrounding state, including the paulistanos. The city, which is also colloquially known as “Sampa” or “Cidade da Garoa” (city of drizzle), is known for its unreliable weather, the size of its helicopter fleet, its architecture, gastronomy, severe traffic congestion and skyscrapers. The city is considered a global city according to several classifications. According to one source, São Paulo is expected to have the second highest economic growth in the world between 2011 and 2025, although New York City and Tokyo were expected to remain the largest in 2025. São Paulo is known for its cuisine, ranging from Chinese to French, from fast food chains to five star restaurants. Restaurants offer approximately 62 cuisines across more than 12,000 restaurants. The city is host to hundreds of events of all kind by day and night.
The final match will be held in Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. It was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup, in which Brazil were beaten 2–1 by Uruguay in the deciding game. For the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, a major reconstruction project was accomplished. The original seating bowl, with a two-tier configuration, was demolished, giving way to a new one-tier seating bowl. The original stadium’s roof in concrete was demolished and substituted with a fiberglass tensioned membrane coated with Teflon. The new roof will cover 95% of the seats inside the stadium, unlike the former design, where protection was given to some seats in the upper ring. The stadium now has a capacity for 79,000 visitors, making it the largest stadium in Brazil and in South America. Rio 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. There are approximately 6.3 million people living within the city proper, making it the 6th largest in the Americas and 26th in the world. Part of the city has been designated as a World Heritage Site, named “Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea“, identified by UNESCO on 1 July 2012 in the category Cultural Landscape. Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visited cities in the southern hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, carnival celebrations, samba, Bossa Nova, balneario beaches such as Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. Some of the most famous landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer (“Cristo Redentor”) atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; and the Sambódromo, a permanent grandstand-lined parade avenue which is used during Carnival. The 2016 Summer Olympics and the Paralympics will take place in Rio de Janeiro, which will mark the first time a South American or a Portuguese-speaking nation hosts the event.
Mineirão, officially Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto (Governor Magalhães Pinto Stadium), was established in 1965 in Belo Horizonte, the capital of the State of Minas Gerais. Stadium’s website: Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto. Belo Horizonte (“Beautiful Horizon”) is located in the southeastern region of the country. The municipality’s population is 2.5 million, making it the most populous city in Minas Gerais state and the sixth most populous city in the country. However the city’s metropolitan area, the “Greater Belo Horizonte”, is home of more than 5.15 million inhabitants, making it the third most populous urban agglomeration in Brazil, only after the Greater São Paulo City and the Greater Rio de Janeiro. The region was first settled in the early 18th century, but the city as it is known today was planned and constructed in the 1890s, in order to replace Ouro Preto as the capital of Minas Gerais. The city features a mixture of contemporary and classical buildings, and is home to several modern Brazilian architectural icons, most notably the Pampulha Complex. In planning the city, Aarão Reis and Francisco Bicalho sought inspiration in the urban planning of Washington, D.C. The city has employed notable programs in urban revitalization and food security, for which it has been awarded international accolades. The city is built on several hills and is completely surrounded by mountains. There are several large parks in the immediate surroundings of Belo Horizonte. The Mangabeiras Park (Parque das Mangabeiras), located 6 km (4 mi) south-east from the city centre in the hills of Curral Ridge (Serra do Curral), has a very broad view of the city. It has an area of 2.35 km2 (580 acres), of which 0.9 km2 (220 acres) is covered by the native forest. The Jambeiro Woods (Mata do Jambeiro) nature reserve extends over 912 hectares (2,250 acres), with vegetation typical of the Atlantic forest. More than one hundred species of birds inhabit the reserve, as well as ten different species of mammals.
The Mané Garrincha Stadium was demolished in 2010 to give way to a new stadium with a capacity of 73,000 fans and in order to reach the requirements for the 2014 World Cup. The stadium was renamed in early 2010 to Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha and the construction began in April of the same year. The reconstruction involves dismantling the lower tier and retaining the upper tier into the new rectangular bowl, and reducing the size of the playing field so that the stadium can be a football-specific stadium. It is located in Brazil’s capital Brasília in the Federal District. Stadium’s website: Estádio Nacional de Brasília. Brasília is located along the Brazilian Highlands in the country’s Central-West region. It was founded on April 21, 1960, to serve as the new national capital. Brasília had an estimated population of 2.8 million in 2013, making it the 4th most populous city in Brazil. Among major Latin American cities, Brasília has the highest GDP per capita. The city has a unique status in Brazil, as it is an administrative division rather than a legal municipality like other cities in Brazil. Nationally, the term is almost always used synonymously with the Federal District, which constitutes an indivisible Federative Unit, analogous to a state. Several “satellite cities” (suburbs) are also part of the Federal District. Brasília was planned and developed by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer in 1956 in order to move the capital from Rio de Janeiro to a more central location. The landscape architect was Roberto Burle Marx. The city’s design divides it into numbered blocks as well as sectors for specified activities, such as the Hotel Sector, the Banking Sector and the Embassy Sector. Brasília was chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its modernist architecture. At the northwestern end of the Monumental Axis are federal district and municipal buildings, while at the southeastern end, near the middle shore of Lake Paranoá, stand the executive, judicial, and legislative buildings around the Square of Three Powers, the conceptual heart of the city. The city’s planned design included specific areas for almost everything, including accommodation, Hotels Sectors North and South. New hotel facilities are being developed elsewhere, such as the hotels and tourism Sector North, located on the shores of Lake Paranoá. Brasília has a range of tourist accommodation from inns, pensions and hostels to larger international hotel chains. The city’s restaurants cater to a wide range of foods from local and regional Brazilian dishes to international cuisine. As a venue for political events, music performances and movie festivals, Brasília is a cosmopolitan city, with around 124 embassies and a complete infrastructure ready to host any kind of event. Not surprisingly, the city stands out as an important business tourism destination, which is an important part of the local economy, with dozens of hotels spread around the national capital. Traditional parties take place throughout the year. Nearby tourist attractions include:
Chapada dos Veadeiros, a National Park with plenty of cerrado wildlife and surrounded by several waterfalls.
Itiquira Falls. This 168 m-high waterfall is just over 100 km (62 mi) from Brasília, in the municipality of Formosa, Goiás.
Caldas Novas, the largest natural hot springs resort in the world. Located about 360 km (220 mi) southeast of the city in the State of Goiás.
Pirenópolis, located 150 km (93 mi) from Brasília, is well known for its waterfalls and Portuguese colonial architecture, and a popular festival involving mounted horses called Festa do Divino Espírito Santo which takes place 45 days after Easter. Its nightlife is very popular, and a Jazz Festival takes place in May.
Goiás Velho, the former capital of the State of Goiás, filled with Portuguese colonial architecture, also known by its popular parties and ceremonies.
Arena Pantanal is a new multi-use stadium in Cuiabá in the State of Mato Grosso. The stadium has a capacity of 43,000. It is built on the grounds of the former Verdão stadium, which was demolished in 2010 to make room for Arena Pantanal. Cuiabá is the capital city of the state of Mato Grosso. It is located in the exact centre of South America and forms the metropolitan area of the state, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city was founded in 1719, during the gold rush, it has been the state capital since 1818. The city is a trading center for an extensive cattle-raising and agricultural area. Economic development has been hampered by Cuiabá’s isolation and by the shortage of labor. Riverboats remain an important means of communication. The city is a rich mix of European, African and native American influences and numerous museums reflect this. Cuiabá is also notable for its cuisine, dance, music and craftwork. Known as the “Southern gate to the Amazon”, Cuiabá experiences a hot humid tropical climate.
Estádio Joaquim Américo Guimarães, commonly referred to as Arena da Baixada, is a football stadium in the Água Verde neighborhood of Curitiba in the State of Paraná. Opened in 1914, it is the home field of Atlético Paranaense, who also owns and operates the stadium. The stadium underwent a set of renovation works. Included in this process were a series of improvements in facilities and the addition of rows of extra seats parallel to the pitch as well as enclosing the stadium with a retractable roof. This resulted in an increased capacity of 40,000, with the stadium set to welcome four World Cup matches. Building work at the stadium was suspended in October 2013 on the orders of a Brazilian labor tribunal due to numerous and serious safety breaches. “Countless infractions have been committed, in various stages of the building project,” wrote the judge Lorena Colnago in her decision, the Paraná Regional Labor Tribunal said in a statement. On January 22, 2014, FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke visited the site and stated that Curitiba could be dropped as a World Cup host city if sufficient progress in the renovation of the arena was not shown by February 18, 2014. On that day, FIFA decided to keep Curitiba as a playing city. Stadium’s website: Arena da Baixada. Curitiba (Pine Nut Land) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. The city’s population numbered approximately 1.8 million people, making it the eighth most populous city in the country, and the largest in Brazil’s South Region. Its metropolitan area, called Curitiba Metropolitan Area (Região Metropolitana de Curitiba), comprises 26 municipalities with a total population of over 3.2 million, making it the seventh most populous in the country. Since it was declared capital of the State of Paraná in 1853, the city has gone through several major urban planning projects to avoid uncontrolled growth and thus has become an international role model in dealing with issues including transportation and the environment. The city is Brazil’s second largest car manufacturer. Its economy is based on industry, commerce and services. For that reason, Curitiba is considered by many investors to be the best location for investment in Brazil. The city receives more than two million tourists every year. Most arrive via Afonso Pena International Airport, where almost sixty thousand flights land annually. Culture has always held a crucial role in the development of the city of Curitiba and that granted the city nationwide attention, during the 1970s. With the inauguration of the Teatro Paiol, a deactivated warehouse formerly used for stocking army ammunition, many different artists came to performe in its arena, ranging from local artists of various genres. In January, 1973, the Fundação Cultural de Curitiba was officially set up, with the aim of promoting culture and of acting as a facilitating agent in the cultural production of the city.
The Estádio Plácido Aderaldo Castelo, also known as the Castelão or Gigante da Boa Vista, is a football stadium that was inaugurated on November 11, 1973 in Fortaleza, capital of the State of Ceará, located in the northeastern part of the country. The stadium was redeveloped for the tournament; the reconstruction project involved the addition of a larger roof, the construction of an underground car park with 4,200 spaces, and a new lower tier. After the redevelopment, the stadium now has an all-seater capacity of 67,000. The stadium closed on March 31, 2011 for the reconstruction project, which was officially completed in December 2012. With a population close to 2.55 million (metropolitan region over 3.6 million), Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of 313 square kilometres (121 sq mi) and the highest demographic density in the country (8,001 per km²). Fortaleza is one of the three leading cities in the Northeast region together with Recife and Salvador. Fortaleza’s economy is arising from its diversified commerce and tourism. Downtown Fortaleza, or the Centro, is where most commercial activities happen. Avenida Monsenhor Tabosa, near Iracema Beach, is another commercial district. Among the largest shopping malls are Iguatemi, North Shopping, Aldeota, Del Paseo and Via Sul. Fortaleza is the home of numerous landmarks. Fortaleza is a major tourist destination for the domestic Brazilian market. The city has several major hotels which are rated as five stars. In addition there are several four star hotels as well as pousadas. On the other hand, Nightlife in Fortaleza centres around local Forro music and dancing or fine dining, however there are several nightclubs that play diversified music genres, and many pubs and bars, most of them with live music shows almost every day of the week. Over the last four years several high quality restaurants have opened up as the city raises it standards generally and in particular with the world cup in view. In addition to these paid for venues, Fortaleza also has a well trodden beach front promenade at the Beira Mar where joggers start before 6am and after the sun goes down at 6pm. On this beach front there is a variety of events to view including volleyball, roller hockey, the Japanese Garden, the arts market and people generally out enjoying a walk with their families. Further along the beach front is the new pier and later the roller skating area close to Iracema beach. During the day time the beaches of Praia do Futuro are well frequented. In Praia de Futuro tourists will find several good quality beach complexes of which the most popular are Crocobeach, Atlantidiz and Cocobeach. Food in any one is of standard beach quality and the atmosphere of a holiday nature. In addition to the beach visitors can see the cathedral, the fort, the popular market, major shopping centres (such as Iguatemi).
Arena da Amazônia (Amazon Arena) is the name of a football stadium in Manaus in the State of Amazonas, located on the former site of the Vivaldão stadium. The stadium has an all-seater capacity of 46,000 and was constructed from 2010 to December 2013. The stadium opened on the 9th of March 2014. England Manager Roy Hodgson criticized the location of the stadium saying the extreme heat of Manaus would make it difficult for players. The Mayor of Manaus later went on to claim that anyone who criticized the stadium or the city would not receive the best welcome. England were later coincidentally drawn to play their opening game against Italy in Manaus. Manaus is the capital city of the state of Amazonas in northern Brazil. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas. Manaus is located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, and access to the city is primarily through boat or aeroplane. This isolation helped preserve both the nature as well as the culture of the city. The culture of Manaus, more than in any other urban area of Brazil, preserves the habits of Native Brazilian tribes. The city is the main entrance to visit the fauna and flora of the Brazilian Amazon. Few places in the World afford such a variety of plants, trees, birds, insects, fishes, etc. It was known at the beginning of the century, as “Heart of the Amazon” and “City of the Forest”. The city has a free port and an international airport. The city’s population is 1.5 million people, is the most populous in the Brazilian Amazon area and the 7th most populous in the country. It’s the hub of tourism for the rivers, the jungle lodges and the river cruises.
The Arena das Dunas (Dunes Arena) is a football stadium designed by leading sports architect, Christopher Lee of Populous under construction since January 2011. It is described by Mr. Lee as ” the most perfect stadium in South America.” It has been built in the city of Natal in the capital of Rio Grande do Norte Brazilian state. The stadium is built in place of the Machadão stadium the Machadinho gym, whose buildings were demolished in 2011. The stadium has capacity of 45,000 people. A shopping center and commercial buildings, hotels of international standard and an artificial lake around the stadium are part of the project. Natal (Christmas) is the capital and largest city of Rio Grande do Norte, a northeastern state in Brazil. The city has a total population of 950,000 (1.4 million in Greater Natal). The implementation of the Via Costeira (Coastal Highway), 10 km (6.2 miles) long avenue along the shore and the dunes, was the true starting point for the beginning of tourist activity in the State in the 1980s. That is where the main hotels of the capital city, Natal, are concentrated. Natal has several tourist attractions and is famous for its natural beauty (such as the crystalline waters of Maracajaú and the largest cashew tree in the world), for its historical monuments and buildings (such as the Forte dos Reis Magos, the Alberto Maranhão Theatre and Newton Navarro bridge), for its beaches (such as Ponta Negra, Pipa and Genipabu) and also for its off-season carnival, the Carnatal. The city also boasts the second largest urban park in Brazil, the Parque das Dunas. The fishing industry is strong as is the cultivation of tropical fruit, especially mangos, guavas, and cashews (the fruit and the nuts). Within the next five years more than ten golf courses will be developed on the Natal coastline and more than $1.8 billion will be invested in new hotels, resorts and improving infrastructure. Due to the booming tourism and enormous potential for further growth, the local government has decided to build a new airport in Natal which will be the biggest airport in South America (8th biggest in the world). The airport will be specifically designed to be able to cater for the new Airbus A-380, which will further confirm Natal’s position as the number one tourist destination in Brazil.
Estádio José Pinheiro Borda, better known as Estádio Beira-Rio (Riverside Stadium) due to its location beside the Guaíba River, is a football stadium in Porto Alegre with a capacity of 56,000. It serves as the home stadium for Sport Club Internacional. It is named after José Pinheiro Borda, an elderly Portuguese engineer who supervised the building of the stadium but died before seeing its completion. Beira-Rio is the second biggest stadium in the Rio Grande do Sul state and also South Brazil. The stadium has recently been renovated to host the World Cup. The Beira-Rio complex also houses a chapel, an events center, bars, stores and a a parking building for 3,000 cars. Parque Gigante, featuring pools, gyms, football fields, and tennis courts, is located next to it. For the convenience of the public who frequent games, concerts, stores, and restaurants at the complex, a parking building was constructed with a lower height than the trees. This has reduced the impact on the garden landscape. On the other side of the complex there is another parking lot beneath the promenade. Porto Alegre (Happy Harbour) is the capital and largest city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1.5 million inhabitants makes it the tenth most populous city in the country and the centre of Brazil’s fourth largest metropolitan area, with 4.4 million inhabitants. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian state. Porto Alegre is one of the top cultural, political and economic centers of Brazil. Porto Alegre has a long coastline on the Guaíba Lake, and its topography is punctuated by 40 hills. In the lake, a vast body of water, a maze of islands facing the city creates an archipelago where a unique ecosystem gives shelter to abundant wildlife. The city area concentrates 28% of the native flora of Rio Grande do Sul, with 9,288 species. Among these, there are many trees which are the vestiges of the Atlantic Forest. Fauna are also diversified, specially in the islands and hills. The Portoalegrense environs include many parks, squares and wooded streets. The port of Porto Alegre is important for transporting local produce. The “capital gaúcha” has a broad-based economy that lays particular emphasis on agriculture and industry. Agricultural production includes produce such as plums, peaches, rice and cassava grown on rural smallholdings. The shoe and leather industries are also important, especially in Novo Hamburgo, in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre.
Itaipava Arena Pernambuco is a new multi-use stadium in the Western suburbs of the Recife metropolitan area, in São Lourenço da Mata in the State of Pernambuco, located in the Northeast region of the country. The stadium has a capacity of 46,000. Construction of the new stadium is being done by Odebrecht Infraestrutura and is being completed in various stages. When fully finished the area around Arena Pernambuco will include a university campus, indoor arena, hotel and convention center, plus commercial, business and residential units and a large entertainment complex with shopping centers, cinemas, bars and restaurants. A “Green” arena: Odebrecht Energia, in partnership with Neoenergia, is implementing a solar power plant in Pernambuco Arena. With an investment of about $ 13 million, the solar plant will generate 1MW of installed capacity and is part of a program of research and development of solar power in the country. When not filling the stadium, the energy generated by the plant will be able to meet the average consumption of 6,000 people. Recife, the state capital and Olinda have one of the most traditional Brazilian Carnivals. Both have Portuguese architecture, with centuries-old casarões and churches, kilometers of beaches and much culture. The proximity of the Equator guarantees sunshine throughout the year, with average temperatures of 26 °C (79 °F). In 1982 the city of Olinda, the second oldest city in Brazil, was declared a Historical and Cultural Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO. The Metropolitan Region of Recife is the main industrial zone of the State of Pernambuco. Thanks to the fiscal incentives of government, many industrial enterprises were started in the 1970s and 1980s. Recife has a tradition of being the most important commercial center of the North/Northeastern region of Brazil with more than 52,500 business enterprises in Recife itself plus 32,500 in the Metro Area which totals more than 85,000. A combination of a large supply of labor and significant private investments turned Recife into Brazil’s second largest medical center (second only to São Paulo); modern hospitals with state-of-the-art equipment receive patients from several neighboring States. Like all other cities in the Northeast, Recife is developing its tourist sector. The beach of Porto de Galinhas, 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of the city, has been repeatedly awarded the title of best beach in Brazil and has drawn many tourists. Recife’s infrastructure is among the most developed in Brazil for travellers and business people, though there is wide room for improvement. The celebrations, holidays and other events are numerous during the whole year. Thus the New Year begins at the beach, Praia de Boa Viagem and in Old Recife. Shopping Center Recife, the first Shopping Center in the North/Northeastern region, was inaugurated in 1980 through the initiatives of two large groups of entrepreneurs: Ancar and Ecisa. After twenty-three years and three expansion projects, Shopping Center Recife has been transformed into one of the largest in Latin America, and the first “mega-mall” in Northeastern Brazil.
The Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova officially Complexo Esportivo Cultural Professor Octávio Mangabeira is a football-only stadium located in Salvador, the capital of the State of Bahia. It has a maximum capacity of 55,000 people. From 2013, the brewery Itaipava from Grupo Petropolis, will sign the naming rights of the new arena “Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova” under a sponsorship agreement until the year 2023, amounting to $ 100 million. This was the first naming rights agreement signed to 2014 World Cup stadiums. Stadium’s website: Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova. Salvador, the largest city on the northeast coast, is also known as Brazil’s capital of happiness due to its countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first colonial capital of Brazil, the city is one of the oldest in the Americas. For a long time, it was simply known as Bahia, and appears under that name on many maps and books from before the mid-20th century. Salvador is the third most populous Brazilian city, after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The metropolitan area of the city, with 3.5 million of people, however, is the seventh most populous Brazilian urban agglomeration, and the third in Brazilian Northeast Region. Salvador is located on a small, roughly triangular peninsula that separates Todos os Santos Bay from the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay, which gets its name from having been discovered on All Saints’ Day forms a natural harbor. Salvador is a major export port, lying at the heart of the Recôncavo Baiano, a rich agricultural and industrial region encompassing the northern portion of coastal Bahia. The city of Salvador is well known for its cuisine, music and architecture, and its metropolitan area is the wealthiest in Brazil’s Northeast. The African influence in many cultural aspects of the city makes it the centre of Afro-Brazilian culture. This reflects a situation in which African-associated cultural practices are celebrated. The historical centre of Salvador, frequently called the Pelourinho, is renowned for its Portuguese colonial architecture with historical monuments dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.
