For the second time in FIFA World Cup history, the most prestigious event in football will take place in Brazil in 2014 (the first was on 1950). Being one of the country’s major cities, Rio de Janeiro was chosen to be one of the 17 cities to host the games. The city will join other important Brazilian cities like Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Porte Alegre, Belem, Cuiaba, Campo Grande, Florianopolis, Curitiba, Goiania, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Manaus, Salvador, and Rio Branco.
Maracanã Stadium
Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium was selected to be the venue of the 2014 World Cup’s final match. Additionally, the qualification draw for the competition also took place in the stadium on July 30, 2011.
Maracanã Stadium had its inauguration when the country first hosted the World Cup in 1950. It will thus then become the world’s second stadium to host two final matches for the World Cup; the first is Mexico’s Estadio Azteca which was the finals venue in 1970 and 1986.
For the 2014 World Cup, the stadium will pass through major recontructions, including the explansion of its roof to cover seats inside the stadium. The stadium will also have gray as its main colour; its original seating bowl which had a two-tier configuration, will be demolished and replaced with a new seating bowl.
The project involving the reconstruction of the Maracanã Stadium will also cover the construction of a building dedicated for parking; it will have a total of 3,500 parking spaces.
For the improvement of the stadium alone, the city of Rio had an estimated investment of R$ 460 million.
Other improvements and renovations
For Rio to meet the requirements it face as the venue for the 2014 World Cup final match, it is required to have an investment of about R$5 billion. This investment shall cover three areas: energy, which transcends to transmission and genertion of electric power, natural gas, petroleum, and renewables; logistics, which include rilways, ports, roads, airports, and waterways; and social and urban, covering sanitation, light, subways, housing, and water resources.
In relation to this improvements, the city’s Ministry of Transport has also held a public meeting about the extension of the metro’s lines. For this porject, the line will be extended up to 13.5 km long, and should cross the city’s South Zone. It is expected to carry about 200,000 passengers everyday in six metro stations.
With the slogan, “Carioca Heritage, a Brazilian Monument,” Rio de Janeiro is set to accommodate thousands of fans coming from all over the world to support their teams for the 2014 World Cup.