Tour the 12 World Cup 2014 Stadiums in Brazil With Google Street View
by Todd R. Weiss
São Paulo
In Arena de São Paulo (Arena Corinthians) in São Paulo, some 65,000 people packed in to watch the opening ceremonies of this year’s World Cup. It is also the venue of the opening match, three group matches and much more.
Rio de Janeiro
Estádio do Maracanã (Estádio Mário Filho) in Rio de Janeiro, which hosted the final match of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, hosts four group matches, one round-of-16 match, one quarterfinal and the final match in this year’s World Cup tournament.
Belo Horizonte
Here in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, about 64,000 soccer fans can take in the games at Mineirão (Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto), including four group matches, a round-of-16 match and one semifinal contest.
Porto Alegre
At Beira-Rio (Estádio José Pinheiro Borda) in Porto Alegre, some 52,000 fans can enjoy the competition through four group matches and one round-of-16 match.
Curitiba
With its retractable roof, the Arena da Baixada (Estádio Joaquim Américo Guimarães) in Curitiba seats 41,000 people in each of four group matches at this year’s World Cup.
Manaus
In Manaus, the Arena da Amazônia (former Estádio Vivaldo Lima) seats 44,000 people for four group matches as teams from around the world square off in the competition.
Natal
This dramatic venue, Estádio das Dunas (Estádio João Cláudio de Vasconcelos Machado) in Natal, holds a crowd of 43,000 people. Four group matches are slated here.
Salvador
The 55,000 turquoise seats stand out brightly here in Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, where rabid soccer fans can witness four group matches, one round-of-16 match and one quarterfinal match in the Cup tournament.
Brasilia
In Brasilia, here in the Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha arena, a huge crowd of 70,000 is expected for each of four group matches, one round-of-16 match, one quarterfinal match and the third-place match in the competition.
Fortaleza
The city of Fortaleza is home to Arena Castelão (Estádio Governador Plácido Castelo), where some 63,000 fans can witness four group matches, a round-of-16 match and one quarterfinal match at this year’s event.
Cuiaba
The new Arena Pantanal (former Estádio José Fragelli) stadium in Cuiaba, which opened in April 2014, replaces an old stadium that was built in 1975. Seating 43,000 people, four World Cup group matches will be played here.
Recife
The Arena Pernambuco in Recife holds 46,000 fans and is the venue for four group matches and one round-of-16 match.