this impressive stadium was originally opened, in 1950, to host the fifa world cup, during which time crowds of 173,000 fans crammed its stands to roar on their teams.

in 1969, in the early days of the stadium when regulations were more relaxed, the maracanã received the largest audience in history for attendance of a football game, squeezing in an incredible 200,000 spectators to the stadium, for brazil verses paraguay.

since then, the stadium has undergone a number of renovations, to fit into updated regulations, and to increase the comfort of the fans.