The Estádio do Maracanã (standard Brazilian Portuguese: [esˈtadʒi.u do maɾakɐˈnɐ̃], local pronounce: [iʃˈtadʒu du mɐˌɾakɐˈnɐ̃]), officiallyEstádio Jornalista Mário Filho (IPA: [iʃˈtadʒu ʒoɦnaˈliʃtɐ ˈmaɾju ˈfiʎu]), is an open-air stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Owned by the Rio de Janeiro State Government, it is, as the Maracanã neighborhood where it is located, named after the Rio Maracanã, a now canalized river in Rio de Janeiro. It was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup, and in the final game Brazil was beaten 2-1 by Uruguay. Since then, it has mainly been used for football matches between the major football clubs in Rio de Janeiro, includingBotafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense, and Vasco da Gama. It has also hosted a number of concerts and other sporting events. Although the paid attendance at the final game of the 1950 FIFA World Cup was 199,854 (being the world’s largest stadium by capacity, when it was inaugurated), the stadium currently seats 78,838 spectators.^[1] It was the main venue of the 2007 Pan American Games, hosting the football tournament and the opening and closing ceremonies.

Over time, however, the stadium also has become a multi-character space to receive other events such as shows and games from other sports, such as volleyball. After several works of modernization, the current capacity of the stadium is 82,238 spectators, making it the largest stadium in Brazil and South America.