Wondering where the World Cup venues are located? The stadiums for the 2014 edition of the FIFA World Cup are located in 12 different venues across Brazil. From the Amazon rain forest to the big city of Rio de Janeiro, the backdrop of Brazil is being displayed as much as the beautiful game of soccer.
Due to the wide distance between stadiums, some soccer fans will require a flight between games to watch their favorite teams. Overall, 32 teams will compete in a variety of 12 different stadiums for a total of 64 games in this event. Here is a look at a few of the stadiums and how many spectators they hold:
Largest Venue
The largest stadium is located in Maracana and hosts 71,159 seats. Originally built for the 1950 world cup with a capacity of over 150,000, the ‘Estadio Mario Filho’ has been renovated to meet the modern needs of the tournament. About 5 kilometers from downtown Rio de Janeiro this venue will play host to some of the most important matches of the tournament.
Smallest Venue
The tournament’s smallest venue which holds 37,634 spectators is known as Arena da Baixada. This arena was originally built in the later part of the 1990’s. Renovations for the World Cup started in 2011 but were not finished until 1 month before the event actually started. Located south of Sao Paolo in the city of Curitiba, this venue will only host 4 matches, all in the group stage.
Other Venues
The other 10 venues are scatted across Brazil in the cities of Manaus, Cuiaba, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Sao Paolo, Porto Alegre and the capital Brasilia. The arena in Sao Paulo is the second largest in terms of capacity seating 59,955 spectators. The Mineirao Arena in Belo Horizonte sits third in size seating 56,091 fans.
Travel will prove to be a challenge in Brazil. For those trying to follow their favorite teams it is extremely important to plan travel well in advance to account for the inevitable delays. Nonetheless, the excitement of the tournament and the large crowds of jubilant supporters will make the travel worthwhile.