Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro (capacity: 73,500)

The Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro (population: 6.33m, greater urban area: 11.616m), built in 1950, re-opened after three years of renovation, on 02/06/2013.

The stadium, which will host the final of the 2014 World Cup, can only accommodate 78,800 people (73,500 seats for the World Cup); 200,000 spectators attended the finale of the 1950 World Cup (Uruguay - Brazil, 2-1), which deprived Brazil of a first World Cup victory.

Renovation focused on improving the safety and comfort of the stadium with the construction of a vast hospitality area of 110 boxes. The cost of the renovation is estimated at 1.05bn reais (€349m). The BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development) supported the renovation of the stadium, which belongs to the state of Rio, with a loan of 400m reais (€133m). The region funded the remaining 640m reais (€216m).

The stadium will be operated through a public-private partnership run by Maracanã consortium until 2045. It brings together the Brazilian construction group Odebrecht; Arenas IMX, a joint venture between EBX group (business conglomerate owned by…