World Cup Stadiums: Homes of the Beautiful Game

Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1950
Few outside Brazil would know that the official name of this giant stadium is Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho, named after a prominent reporter who argued for its construction. But every global soccer fan knows of the Maracana — supposedly derived from a indigenous Guarani phrase for "rattle-like." The Maracana was veritably shaking during the 1950 World Cup final with as many as 200,000 fans filling the stands, cheering the host nation on. But a shocked silence would soon settle over the crowd: Brazil was upset by the ever-plucky Uruguayans.

• A Brief History of the World Cup
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