Mané Garrincha stadium sets attendance and revenue records.

From ComCop - The debut of the Mané Garrincha National Stadium in Brasília couldn't have been better on the national sporting calendar. Inaugurated in May 2013, the multi-purpose arena in Brasília hosted ten matches of the country's main football tournament, the Brasileirão. And, proportionally to the number of matches, it finished the competition leading in attendance and revenue, leaving behind stadiums in cities with century-old fan bases.

The Brazilian Championship matches drew 368.727 fans to the Mané Garrincha stadium, generating revenue of R$ 25.638.225. This translates to an average attendance of 36.873 per match, the highest in the Brasileirão, and an average revenue of R$ 2.563.822, also a record. The data comes from the financial reports published by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).

In absolute numbers, Maracanã leads the ranking of stadiums in the Brazilian Championship. The Rio de Janeiro stadium hosted 44 matches of the competition, with a total audience of 1.158.838 people, and revenue of R$ 29.766.284. However, the average attendance per game was 26.337, and the average revenue was R$ 676.506,45.

According to the Extraordinary Secretary for the World Cup, Claudio Monteiro, the numbers reflect a reality forgotten by many who criticized the stadium's construction: "Brasília is the capital of all Brazilians. Here we have fans from all parts of Brazil and the world, since we have diplomatic representations from various countries here."

Second home - Monteiro also highlighted the partnership with Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, which chose Brasília as its second home in the Brazilian Championship and played eight times in the Brasília arena. Vasco and Botafogo also played games at Mané Garrincha. The secretary anticipated that there are already talks for eight matches of the competition to be held there in the second half of 2014, after the World Cup. "We have one of the best stadiums in the world, we have fans and we have revenue. What team wouldn't want to play here?", he emphasized.

Local football – The Mané Garrincha stadium, which hosted the final of the 2013 Candango Championship, will also host the two final matches of the Candangão this year, on April 5th and 12th. "We know that Mané Garrincha is our best and biggest stadium, a source of pride for our city. Holding the Candangão final here, where World Cup matches will be played, is already an incentive for any club," stated Josafá Dantas, president of the Brasiliense Football Federation.

2014 – In addition to the Candangão finals, the Mané Garrincha stadium will host seven World Cup matches in the first half of this year. The opening match for Brasília fans will be on June 15th, between Switzerland and Ecuador. On June 19th, Colombia and Ivory Coast will face each other at the Brasília arena. But the big moment for the fans will be on June 23rd, when the Brazilian National Team takes on Cameroon.

Expectations are high for a positive result for Brazil, since the Mané Garrincha stadium brought good luck to our national team in 2013. They played two games there and won both. It was here in Brasília that Brazil began its victorious campaign at the opening of the Confederations Cup.

Concluding the first-round matches in Brasília, Portugal and Ghana will face off on June 26th. After the first round of the World Cup, the ball will roll again on the Mané Garrincha pitch on June 30th for the Round of 16. On that occasion, the first-place team from Group E (which could be Switzerland, Ecuador, France, or Honduras) will face the second-place team from Group F (Argentina, Bosnia, Iran, or Nigeria). On July 5th, Brasília will host a quarter-final match, and on July 12th, the third-place match.

shows – It won't just be the ball rolling at Mané Garrincha in 2014. The multi-purpose arena, which last year hosted international stars Beyoncé and Aerosmith in shows that marked the city's history and put the capital on the map for major international events, will also have a busy schedule. According to Secretary Claudio Monteiro, two international stars have already expressed interest in performing at Mané this year.