English
This summer the country has becomes the center of the world due to the FIFA World Cup. Spain, the defending champion, has had an early defeat. In this article, we will briefly review three of the cities that are hosting this exciting soccer world championship.
Rio de Janeiro
The second most populous but certainly the most popular of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, or “Rio” for short, will host many of the matches, including the final, which takes place at the Maracana stadium on July 13. This stadium, which was built for the 1950 World Cup, has been renovated recently. It can accommodate more than 70,000 spectators, and at times has held many more, including a group of 200,000.
Rio is also a great beach destination. Everybody knows the famous Copacabana beach, but there’s also Ipanema beach, which is ideal for surfers, or Vermelha beach, one of the most peaceful in the city.
The city’s icon, however, is the Christ the Redeemer statue depicting Jesus of Nazareth some 38 meters high that soars above the city. It’s located in the Tijuca National Park, the largest urban forest in the world. It is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world, along with the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Petra, Machu Picchu, the Colosseum of Rome, and Chichen Itza in Mexico.
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is situated at the junction of five rivers and is one of the most important cities of Brazil. The capital of Rio Grande do Sul is located in the southern part of the country. It’s a major industrial center but also one of the greenest cities, with more than a million trees planted in the area. Its inhabitants are called “gaúchos” and are lucky to be watching 5 World Cup matches, including a quarter-final. The venue is the Beira-Rio stadium, the biggest stadium in the southern region of Brazil with a capacity of over 40,000 spectators. If you travel to the southern part of the country, it’s a must!
São Paulo
With over 20 million inhabitants, this city is one of the most populous in the world and the largest metropolis of South America. The city’s Arena stadium, which was built specifically to house the World Cup, has made the Corinthians’ fans especially happy, since they didn’t have such a modern stadium to house this type of event prior to this tournament. It will be home to one of the semi-finals in addition to other matches.
Who will win?
From what we’ve seen so far and after the early defeat Spain suffered, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are among the favorites to win the competition. But we should watch out for Argentina’s Messi and the host nation, Brazil, with Neymar motivated like never before. No matter who wins, we’re certain it will be a good show!
The tournament has already begun, so pack your team’s shirt and enjoy!
Reserve your apartment in Rio de Janeiro from 33€/night and be a part of this year´s World Cup events.
