FIFA July 9, 2012 Neymar’s name has cropped up in the media so much over the last two years that he appears to have been on the scene for a lot longer than he actually has. A star for club and country at the age of just 20, quite an achievement when the country in question is Brazil, Neymar has […]

photo: Wikipedia / text: FIFA In the coming months and years, visitors to the Home of FIFA in Zurich may notice a bronze statue of a goalkeeper on display and wonder who it is. Those with a keener eye may have seen the same at The FA’s Headquarters at Wembley Stadium and UEFA’s base in Nyon. Those statues are a […]

Of the three biggest clubs in Sao Paulo, the only one which previously did not own a stadium with the necessary size and infrastructure to host games was the city’s best-supported side: Sport Club Corinthians Paulista. Yet this long-yearned for dream of the Corinthians faithful will finally come true ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in the shape of […]

The first capital city in Brazil’s history, Salvador will welcome the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ at a new, purpose-built stadium with a capacity of 56,000. The new arena will host six games at the tournament and is being constructed on the site of the Fonte Nova. Officially known as the Estadio Octavio Mangabeira, the Fonte Nova was opened on […]

Built for the 1950 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, the Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho, better known as the Maracana, provided the venue for that year’s truly memorable decider between the host nation and Uruguay, one of the most dramatic chapters in the history of the competition. The Rio de Janeiro stadium will be in the limelight once again at Brazil 2014, […]

Recife, a city whose passion for the beautiful game is without question, is home to three historic Brazilian clubs in the shape of Nautico, Santa Cruz and Sport. And, having already hosted one match at the 1950 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ (Chile’s 5-2 win over USA at the Ilha do Retiro stadium), the city is set to gain a brand-new […]

Located in a picture-postcard setting, on reclaimed land on the banks of the River Guaiba, the Estadio Beira-Rio is the home of Internacional, arch-rivals to their Porto Alegre neighbours Gremio. The venue of many a thrilling city derby and no fewer than four Copa Libertadores finals, the stadium is now preparing to host five games at the 2014 FIFA World […]

Ever since it was inaugurated back in 1972, the Estadio Joao Claudio de Vasconcelos Machado – better known as the Machadão – has welcomed the biggest clashes in Natal football to the Lagoa Nova neighbourhood. The three leading teams in Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte state, are ABC, Alecrim and America, who last appeared in Brazil’s top […]

Though not a traditional hotbed of Brazilian football, Manaus is sure to be popular with fans attending the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ thanks to the unique character of the Arena Amazonia, formerly the Estadio Vivaldao. The city is situated at the heart of the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world and the inspiration for the refurbished stadium, […]

The people of Fortaleza have a passion for the game as well as the city’s two biggest clubs, Ceara and Fortaleza. And it is an attachment that can only grow with the remodelling of the city’s main football stadium, the Castelao. 

Built in 1973 and officially known as the Estadio Governador Placido Castelo, the Castelao is home to both teams […]