In 1946, the first meeting of the International Football Federation (FIFA) was held after the Second World War, with Brazil as a candidate to host the fourth World Cup. FIFA’s response was positive and spurred the construction, two years later, of the Jornalista Mário Filho stadium, known as Maracanã.
More than six decades later, the stadium was once again the stage for the World Cup, hosting 7 competition matches in 2014, including the grand final between Germany and Argentina. The last game brought together 74,738 fans, the current maximum capacity of Maracanã.
With 317 meters in its longest axis and 32 meters high, Maracanã was, for many years, the largest stadium in the world. Its field has an area of 186,638 m². Its construction consumed 80,000 m³ of concrete and 500,000 bags of cement.