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World Cup 2014 Stadium Guide – Estadio Mineirao

By on May 30, 2014

BELO HORIZINTE IS NOT JUST A HUB FOR BEER, IT IS A HUB FOR BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL. ALEX MORGAN REVIEWS IT’S LARGEST STADIUM ESTADIO MINEIRAO.

Estadio Mineirao

Capacity: 62254
Matches: Colombia vs. Greece (June 14), Belgium vs. Algeria (June 17), Argentina vs. Iran (June 21), Costa Rica vs. England (June 24), and one semifinal

Belo Horizonte, one of the World Cup host cities at this summer’s tournament, it not only the third biggest city in Brazil and a hub for more bars per capita than any other host city at the tournament; BH, as the city is also known, has long been a hub for some of the best football in Brazil. Home to both Atletico Mineiro and Cruzeiro, two Brazilian heavyweights and former national champions, the likes of Ronaldinho and even Ronaldo have graced the city’s biggest football stadium, the Estadio Mineirao (officially the Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto), countless times. The Mineirao has attracted some 132,000 spectators to matches in the past, and has hosted many of the bitter Brazil-Argentina rivalries of the past decade. And the stadium has only been made nicer in preparation for the World Cup, undergoing a complete renovation that lasted six months.

The pitch was lowered and stadium made more accessible, among things, and the result is undeniable. Modernizations costed $287 million, but it was worth it.

 

With two levels of stands, the stadium is the worth biggest at the tournament, and has won the right to host one of the two semifinals. It will already have hosted the likes of Argentina, England, and Belgium by then, yet in a stadium that can house a fantastic atmosphere, the semifinal will be a memorable event.

The stadium was originally inaugurated in 1965, and since it’s opening has not only hosted football matches – musical legends Paul McCartney and Beyoncé have both performed at the venue. And, state-owned, it’s name came from the former state leader Magalhães Pinto.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.