Maracana

Maracana, officially named Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Fluminense, along with various international matches.

Opened on 16 June 1950 with a match between teams from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, it replaced the older Estádio das Laranjeiras. Originally, Maracana had a maximum seating capacity of 200,000. The current seating capacity of the stadium, after several renovations, is now set at 78,838. The stadium was designed by a team of architects led by Raphael Galvão and had a construction cost equivalent to $3 million at the time.

A FIFA category four stadium and one of the biggest stadiums by capacity in the world, the Maracana has hosted numerous high-profile events, including two FIFA World Cup Finals (1950 and 2014), the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Final, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. It was elected the most influential stadium in a 2014 online poll by The Guardian. Throughout its history, Maracana has welcomed more than 40 million spectators. The stadium is one of the potential venues for any future FIFA World Cup or Summer Olympics that Brazil may host.