The largest stadium in Brazil – Star and Vanak

In Brazil, soccer is not only a sport, but “an art,” one that every child is taught almost as soon as they walk. Football stadiums also have a special place in this country, so it is appropriate to dedicate this article to the introduction of the biggest stadium in Brazil. The heart of football in this country is Maracana Stadium, which is known as the largest football stadium in Brazil. This stadium has a great history and has seen many times the tears and smiles of the openers and fans of the team.

History of Maracanã Stadium

The construction of the Maracana Stadium began in 1948 and the first match held there was in 1950 between the teams of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In this game, Rio de Janeiro lost to Sao Paulo with a score of 3-1. In the 1950 World Cup, Brazil and Uruguay played and Brazil lost to Uruguay 2-1. Brazil called this match Maracanazo (Maracana strike) and the memory of it is still fresh in the minds of local people.

After the World Cup, the stadium was used for football club matches. The Maracana Stadium has also hosted the finals of the local football cup many times. This stadium was named as one of the symbols of Brazil in 1998. In 2000, the stadium was renovated to increase its capacity to 103,000 people. The stadium was reopened in 2007 with a capacity of 82,238 seats.

Introducing Maracana Stadium; The largest stadium in Brazil

Maracana Stadium, officially Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, is a 105 by 68 meters (344 ft by 223 ft) international football stadium located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Originally named after the Rio Maracana (Maracana River) and the indigenous Tupi-Guarani word for “green bird”, the stadium is recognized as a symbol of Brazilian culture.

The stadium was built in 1950 to commemorate Brazil’s hosting of the 1950 soccer games. Nine prominent Brazilian architects designed this stadium in what is known as a unique structure, they intended to make the Maracana the largest stadium in the world. Considering that Maracana is located in the most popular international city of Brazil and due to the popularity of the national team among the people of this country, the stadium has become one of the tourist attractions in the tour of Brazil.

As Brazil’s largest stadium with a capacity of 78,838, the Maracana regularly hosts matches between Rio de Janeiro’s main football clubs, including Botafogo, Fluminense, Flamengo and Vasco da Gama. The multi-purpose stadium, used by the Pope to celebrate Mass during his visits to Brazil, occasionally hosts large plays and concerts. Memorable performances by famous musicians such as Frank Sinatra and Madonna, as well as concerts by Tina Turner and Paul McCartney, which broke the Guinness record, have been played at the Maracana. The stadium is a popular venue for touring artists and hosts the Rio Rock Music Festival.

Renovation of Maracana Stadium in Brazil

In 2010, the state of Rio de Janeiro approved the renovation of the Maracana in preparation for the 2014 soccer games, the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Paralympics. The Brazilian government decided to completely renovate the Macarana as Brazil’s largest stadium to world standards by adding an LED lighting scheme, high definition HDTV and slow motion replays.

Architectural firm Mingrone Iluminação, which specializes in large-scale Brazilian architectural lighting projects such as the São Paulo Pinacoteca and metro stations, was responsible for creating the lighting design for the stadium’s facade and interior. Considering the high quality and level of expectation of global spectators and players, this company considered Color Kinetics lamps for stadium lighting.

Currently, more than 20,000 ColorReach Powercore gen2, ColorReach Compact Powercore, and Vaya Linear lamps are installed in the solar panels, VIP suites, and Maracana parking lot. Also, 480 RGB LED lighting projectors with high luminous flux and a useful life of more than 70,000 hours are installed on the roof. The stadium can be seen. Lights were added to the press conference areas, guest rooms, dressing rooms and players’ tunnel to ensure adequate lighting throughout the Maracana. The long lifespan of all the lights has helped reduce maintenance costs for the Brazilian government and demonstrates Maracana Stadium’s commitment to energy sustainability.

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Maracana Stadium and major world events

As the largest stadium in Brazil, Maracana is not only a place for football matches, but also a stage for performances and big concerts. The most famous singers and artists including Frank Sinatra, Madonna, Tina Turner and Paul McCartney have performed in this stadium. Even the quality of these performances was so high and the number of spectators was so high that it was able to hold the Guinness record in the field of concert performance. In addition, the Maracana Stadium is used by the Pope to hold mass during his visits to Brazil.

Maracana Stadium and Pele, the legend of world football

Maracana Stadium has an inseparable link with Pele, the world and Brazilian football legend. It was in this stadium that he made his debut for Brazil against Argentina in 1957, Pele scored his 1,000th career goal in 1969 at the Maracana and played his last game for Brazil in 1971 in Did it right here. In 2021, the state assembly of Rio de Janeiro decided to change the name of the stadium to “Pele”, but this bill was vetoed by the Brazilian assembly.

Maracana stadium photos; The largest stadium in Brazil

Here are some pictures of the Maracana Stadium:

final word

Soccer is the most popular sport in Brazil. Especially on the days when the Brazilian team plays in the World Cup, this country has a strange atmosphere and it can be said that all the people are cheering their favorite players while staring at the televisions with stress. If the football game is held in the Maracana stadium, as the biggest stadium in Brazil, this excitement has reached its peak and the fans’ feelings are indescribable. Throughout its history, the Maracana has seen many exaggerated expressions of emotion. If you are also interested in football, do not miss visiting this stadium during your trip to Brazil.