Facing Paraguay on Tuesday (10), for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at the Neo Chemistry Arena, in the Itaquera neighborhood of São Paulo, the Brazilian team will reinforce a trend observed during the last ten years. The national team has preferably used new or renovated stadiums in cities that served as the 2014 World Cup.
The movement does not surprise and reflects the search for the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) by modern arenas, more favorable logistics in the middle of the tight calendar and maximization of profits. But it ends up distancing the yellow-green team of fans in regions that do not have these structures.
Brazil made 41 performances in national territory from 2015 to 2024, between friendlies and qualifying games and the Cup of America. There were 39 matches —95% of the total-in the 12 host cities of the 2014 World Cup. Only Goiânia and Belém managed to pierce the bubble during this period.
In the interval from 2004 to 2013, in 33 matches of the national team in Brazil, 25 of them, or approximately 75%, occurred in eight of the cities that would be chosen to house games of the FIFA tournament (International Football Federation).
During this period, Maceió, Campo Grande and Gama, in addition to Goiânia and Belém, had the opportunity to receive the spotted selection.
According to Eduardo Corn, sports marketing consultant and professor at Insper, the concentration of the national team’s games after the Cup in the headquarters reflects a correct logic from the perspective of sports management.
“These centers began to offer modern stadiums with FIFA standard, infrastructure and better logistics conditions to the fans,” he said.
“Globally, alloys, confederations and rights holders have prioritized complete and secure experiences to their fans, and Brazil is no exception. The choice allows the fan a more qualified journey, from access to the arena to the services available during the game, and facilitates high quality brands and broadcasts.”
Economist and partner of the Summoned Consulting, who operates in the football market, Cesar Grafietti added that the fact that players are spread across different clubs around the world and have little time together to train before the matches ends up demanding a very specific logistics.
“There are 12 cities with adequate logistics and infrastructure, and it is unimaginable to see a match of the selection in Parque do Sabiá, in Uberlândia, for example, as we have seen in the past. Logistics is complex, and the stadium does not structurally support such a match,” he said.
The Southeast region was the one that most benefited from the recent trend. There were 14 games from Brazil in the region, from 2004 to 2013; From 2015 to 2024, there were 20.
Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, which went from five to nine and eight matches, respectively, were the cities that have received new games from the national team to far.
The new Corinthians Arena, the scene of the opening of the World Cup, and Maracanã, the stage of the final, were the stadiums used in the tournament that saw the national team after the 2014 World Cup, with four games each.
It was the Engenhão, however, built for the 2007 Pan American Games, the stadium that most received the Brazilian post-World Cup in the world. There were five matches on stage that is now called Nilton Santos, four of them during the 2021 Copa. The Arena did not host games at the 2014 World Cup.
Manaus, Natal and Cuiabá, with stadiums built for the competition won by Germany, first appeared in the survey after the World Cup.
For Amir Somoggi, director of consulting firm Sports Value, the stadium choices that receive the selection began to incorporate, in addition to political aspects, potential revenues.
“The CBF will always seek the maximization of these games, in structures that income more money,” he said.
“Any stadium that is chosen today will not only be by political aspects. It will also have the economic aspect first, how much it is possible to earn. It seems to me an irreversible trend, and those who have no structure should not receive more important games.”
The Midwest region had the largest drop in the number of games in the national team, with eight matches from 2004 to 2013 and five from 2015 to 2024.
Serra Dourada, in Goiânia, received three games from the national team in the first break, including the Superclassic of the Americas against Argentina in 2012.
In the second, the capital of Goiás only saw the Brazilian team once again, in the game of the Copa America against Ecuador, in 2021, but this time at the Olympic Stadium, which had also received games from the U17 World Cup in 2019.
The Rei Pelé stadiums in Maceió, Morenão, in Campo Grande, and Bezerrão, in Gama, did not see games of the Brazilian team again after the World Cup.
“Care must be taken with the removal of cities that were not thirsty, as this can compromise, in the long run, the affective connection of the selection in these regions. The challenge is to balance efficiency and experience with inclusion and national presence,” said Corn of Insper.
Pacaembu, which had been the scene of two games – and was closed between 2021 and 2025 – also did not receive the national team again. Allianz Park has received two matches.
The Pituaçu Stadium in Salvador and Arruda in Recife were out. The games in these cities have moved to the Fonte Nova Arena and the Pernambuco Arena of the World Cup.
“The positive aspect is to deliver facilities and good playing conditions to athletes. On the other hand, the selection is further away from the population, but it is part of the reality of the sport today,” said Grafietti.
