Recife will be one of the 12 host cities of the FIFA World Cup in 2014. This is already the second time that the city was chosen participate in the World Cup as being one of the host cities. The first one was in 1950 in which it hosted the game between the United States and Chile.

 

Naturally this depicts the city’s great love for football. The sport was introduced to the state of Pernambuco by Dutch and English sailors who visited the area and played a game on the beach. Since then the sport has sparked the interest of the locals and it has been part of the city’s as well as the entire country’s culture.

 

The football clubs that can be found in Recife are Sport, which has been national champions for 87 times and state champion for 39 times; Santa Cruz FC, state champion for 24 times; and Náutico, state champion for 21 times.

 

Aside from football there are also other sports that are played in Recife. These sports are also supported by various clubs that are based in the city.

 

The other sports that are also widely played in the Recife are: volleyball, basketball, tennis, table tennis, hockey, golf, handball, futsal, swimming and surfing.