Rio de Janeiro Attractions

Maracana

Officially called the Estádio Mário Filho, Rio's iconic football stadium is home to three of the city's four teams (Flamengo, Botafogo and Fluminense) and is universally known by its nickname, the Maracanã. After the Maracanã was built for the 1950 World Cup, it was the biggest football stadium in the world. Brazil lost here in the final against Uruguay in front of 180,000 fans. Its huge elliptical frame is almost circular and, despite extensive renovation in the late 1990s resulting in reduced capacity, it remains one of the world's most important temples to football.

The stadium is undergoing renovations and extensions in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and the Olympics in 2016.