FOOTBALL (Soccer) in RIO DE JANEIRO
One of the city´s landmark is Maracanã Stadium, temple of the sport by which Brazil is (was?) worldwide known. Most travelers come here, having the same question - how may I see a game at Maracanã?
First things first - Rio has three first division teams (national and local leagues), so far - Flamengo, Botafogo, Fluminense (Vasco da Gama is in the second division).
The local championship happens from late January until April and the national championship goes from May to December. Sometimes we have some international competitions with Rio teams involved, like Libertadores da America, Copa Sul Americana.
The best source of information is O Globo sports session - http://oglobo.globo.com/esportes - they have the most accurate information,
clicking on the "tabelas" (charts) to see the fixtures.
Flamengo and Fluminense games are usually held at Maracanã; Botafogo has his rented stadium, Engenhão (inactive at the moment - best reachable by suburbian trains that come from Central Station - the one from the movie) and Vasco plays at their home, São Januário (also on the north zone of Rio).
Tickets are usually avaliable a week before the game happens, at Maracanã (when the game is held there) and on the clubs venues (If you are in Ipanema or Leblon, best place is going to Flamengo place, next to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. If you are staying in Copacabana, Botafogo, better go to Botafogo team place, close to Rio Sul mall or
to Fluminense place, in Laranjeiras). If is a derby, I recomend buying as soon as its avaliable, specially for a Flamengo game (sometimes this team brings 81000 people
to the stadium, playing with a team from Minas Gerais State. Tickets vary between R$ 40 to R$ 300, depending on the game and on season. The green and yellow stands are, in my opinion, the best places to be.
How to get there? The best way to go is getting the subway until Estácio Station on line 1, then change to Maracanã Stadium station, with line 2. There is a big path that links the station to the stadium, with policemen watching all the time. Best arrive at least two hours prior the game, specially if you still have no ticket. Its also a good oportunity to choose your side (if is a local derby), mingle with Brazilians and have a beer, as they are not sold inside Maracanã stadium (only in FIFA WORLD CUP 2014).
If you are so unlucky (like me, when I went to Buenos Aires and couldnt see any game of Boca Juniors at La Bombonera) to be in Rio and couldnt find a game to go, you still can do a tour at Maracanã. It happens every day, from 9am to 5pm, including holidays. When there is a game, the tour finishes 5 hours before the game (if is at 4pm, finishes at noon; if the game is on 6pm, finishes at 1pm).
Entrance (not expensive) is at gate 15.
Eldery, disable people, students and people that can prove that they live in Rio, pay even half price.
More info in Portuguese - http://www.suderj.rj.gov.br/visitacao_maracana.asp
One more piece of advice - it's O.K. to take your camera, but keep an eye on your belongings and try not to get into trouble by arguing with the other group of supporters. There are always some angry people around there, but if you do not
mess with them, you'll have a great time at the best known stadium on earth!
The best source of information is O Globo sports session - http://oglobo.globo.com/esportes - they have the most accurate information,
clicking on the "tabelas" (charts) to see the fixtures.
Flamengo and Fluminense games are usually held at Maracanã; Botafogo has his rented stadium, Engenhão (inactive at the moment - best reachable by suburbian trains that come from Central Station - the one from the movie) and Vasco plays at their home, São Januário (also on the north zone of Rio).
Tickets are usually avaliable a week before the game happens, at Maracanã (when the game is held there) and on the clubs venues (If you are in Ipanema or Leblon, best place is going to Flamengo place, next to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. If you are staying in Copacabana, Botafogo, better go to Botafogo team place, close to Rio Sul mall or
to Fluminense place, in Laranjeiras). If is a derby, I recomend buying as soon as its avaliable, specially for a Flamengo game (sometimes this team brings 81000 people
to the stadium, playing with a team from Minas Gerais State. Tickets vary between R$ 40 to R$ 300, depending on the game and on season. The green and yellow stands are, in my opinion, the best places to be.
How to get there? The best way to go is getting the subway until Estácio Station on line 1, then change to Maracanã Stadium station, with line 2. There is a big path that links the station to the stadium, with policemen watching all the time. Best arrive at least two hours prior the game, specially if you still have no ticket. Its also a good oportunity to choose your side (if is a local derby), mingle with Brazilians and have a beer, as they are not sold inside Maracanã stadium (only in FIFA WORLD CUP 2014).
If you are so unlucky (like me, when I went to Buenos Aires and couldnt see any game of Boca Juniors at La Bombonera) to be in Rio and couldnt find a game to go, you still can do a tour at Maracanã. It happens every day, from 9am to 5pm, including holidays. When there is a game, the tour finishes 5 hours before the game (if is at 4pm, finishes at noon; if the game is on 6pm, finishes at 1pm).
Entrance (not expensive) is at gate 15.
Eldery, disable people, students and people that can prove that they live in Rio, pay even half price.
More info in Portuguese - http://www.suderj.rj.gov.br/visitacao_maracana.asp
One more piece of advice - it's O.K. to take your camera, but keep an eye on your belongings and try not to get into trouble by arguing with the other group of supporters. There are always some angry people around there, but if you do not
mess with them, you'll have a great time at the best known stadium on earth!
Collaboration : http://whatsuprio.blogspot.com.br
