Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha

The Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha is one of the many stadiums that was built in 2013 to serve as a venue for the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2024 World Cup. The stadium is located in the state of Brasilia and it plays home to the Brasilia Futebol Clube. Brasilia has a lot of inspirational work by architect Oscar Niemeyer and these works have been used as an inspiration for the stadium itself.

The ground was initially constructed in 1974, but it underwent a great deal of renovation work to increase the capacity for the World Cup. The initial ground capacity in 1974 was around 45,000. Now, the capacity of just over 72,000 makes the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha one of the largest stadiums in South America.

The stadium began with an initial budget of around $500 million but a number of delays meant that the final budget ended up hitting close to $1 billion.

This mammoth construction cost has ended up making the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha the third most expensive stadium in the world. it is only behind the Wembley Stadium in England and  Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London. The visiting supporters to the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha will be getting a lot of history thanks to the ground being dedicated as a homage to Mane Garrincha, who won the World Cup with Brazil on two occasions.

This is a ground that did not initially get a lot of support from local clubs due to its massive size. However, visiting supporters will largely be experiencing the stadium for the high-profile games.

Since Brazil also tends to use this stadium for some of the home games, visiting supporters are likely to be experiencing a packed Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha rather than an empty ground.

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Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha is located very close to the famous tourist spots in Brasília. Since the city is primarily designed for those who have a personal mode of transport, it is not great for walking around.

The experience may not be pleasant, but it is certainly a choice for those who want to take advantage of the many drinking and eating spots that the city boasts. In fact, there is a sizeable Brasília shopping mall, which is only less than a kilometre away from the stadium.

Best pubs for away fans

• Modesto bar, Srpn Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha, S/N – Asa Norte, Brasília – DF, 70070-701, Brazil
• Brazolia Cozinha E Bar, SGO Q 3 – Brasília, DF, 70655-775, Brazil
• Carcassonne Pub, Asa Norte CLN 407, Bloco E Loja 37 – Asa Norte, Brasília – DF, 70855-550, Brazil

As many modern football grounds do, the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha boasts a bowl-like design, similar in aesthetic to a variety of elite stadiums in Europe, and as such, entrances into the ground are fairly fluid, with multiple turnstiles dotted around its perimeter.

Simply check your ticket information to find your designated turnstile entrance, and head towards that very gate upon arrival at the arena.

Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha ground layout

The location of Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha in the central part of Brasília makes it easy to reach through a number of means.

The stadium is about 1.5 km away from the central metro station, which enjoys an impressive amount of connectivity with other parts of Brasília through a bus or metro.

However, those who want to drive to the stadium will be able to do so quite easily with the stadium enjoying excellent accessibility by road. One can choose to enter the following address in the satnav to make the navigational process a lot easier:

• Srpn Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha s/n, Brasilia – DF, 70070-701

Parking at Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha

Thankfully, as well as being incredibly easy to access by car, Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha also has fantastic parking facilities in the surrounding areas.

Using Parkopedia is a great way to find these car parks, as well as information on the number of spaces they hold and the distance they are from the ground.

Our suggestion is the on-site Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha car park, which is a facility that boasts over 5000 spaces and is a mere two-minute walk to the stadium’s entrance.

The train and metro access also provide a great option for those looking to visit the stadium. Since the ground is only a 10-minute walk away from the Central metro Station, this would clearly be the best option for visitors who want to get to the ground.

The bus that goes alongside the Eixo Monumental can also be used to reach the stadium from central. Since Brasilia is not very friendly to pedestrians, this can be a great option for those who do not want to walk.

The Rodoferroviaria is the bus terminal located in the western section of the Eixo Monumental. It is around 4.5 km away from the stadium. There are numerous local buses that fly from the terminal to the stadium, while the connectivity to the city centre is also excellent.

Brazil is of course a beautiful country boasting fantastic scenery across the nation. As a result, many visiting fans may wish to extend their stay in the country, and if doing so, you will need to find a good hotel close to the stadium.

Our top three suggestions are:

• ibis Styles Brasilia Aeroporto, Setor De Concessionarias, Aeroporto Int De Brasilia, Lote 02 – Taguatinga, Brasília – DF, 71608-900, Brazil
• Golden Tulip Brasília Alvorada, SHTN Trecho 1 – Asa Norte, Brasília – DF, 70800-200, Brazil
• Hotel Athos Bulcão Hplus Executive, SHN Q. 5, BL D – Asa Norte, Brasília – DF, 70705-000, Brazil

Opened in 1974, the stadium pays homage to one of Brazil’s greatest-ever players, Garrincha. The very first match ever played at the ground was played on March 10 of the same year, featuring a clash between Corinthians and CEUB.

Unlike many old grounds, Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha did not receive renovations on a regular basis, which in the late 2000s, led to the facility becoming old-fashioned and unfit for purpose to a certain extent.

However, in 2013, that all changed. The ground received major renovations for the 2013 Confederations Cup, transforming the venue into one of the most expensive stadiums in the world, let alone South America.

Those improvements also allowed the stadium to host matches at the 2014 World Cup – all in all, the renovation project cost a staggering £700 million.

Since then, Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha has not undergone any further major renovations, but it was used a host at the 2016 Summer Olympics, hosted in Brazil.

Given its costly and recent major renovations, the disabled facilities at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha are fantastic and are in line with many of the current rules and regulations regarding accessibility.

Wheelchair manoeuvrability and an array of accessible lofts and ramps are just some of the features implemented into the stadium to ensure disabled fans have a pleasant matchday experience.

The Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha is a massive colossus of construction that has to be felt from within even when games are not taking place.

For this purpose, one can get access to the stadium through tours that are available. These are not open throughout the year and fans have to check with the stadium to ensure this service is available upon their visit.

While there have been no major developments at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha since 2013, there have been plenty of rep[ort suggesting the venue will eventually be transformed into a housing complex.

While this may seem shocking, given just how expensive the stadium was to construct, it is worth noting that at the time of writing, the ground is home to two lower-league Brazilian clubs who are unable to make the most of the venue’s 69,000 capacity.

In essence, the size of the stadium far outweighs its demand, and as a result, many have called for the site to be demolished and turned into housing which would greatly benefit the local population.