The Journalist Mário Filho Stadium, better known as Maracanã, turns 74 this Sunday (16).
The venue is one of the biggest stages in world football and its 10 biggest crowds tell a little bit of its history – check it out below.
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Biggest crowds at the “Maraca”
The largest paying crowd in the history of Maracanã was in the 1-0 victory of Brazil over Paraguay in a match valid for the 1970 World Cup qualifiers;
The match was played on August 31, 1969 and was part of the trajectory that led the Brazilian national team to the conquest of the third world title;
If we consider the total attendance of the stadium, the first place in the ranking becomes the final of the 1950 World Cup.
Ten biggest paying crowds at Maracanã
The largest paying crowd in the history of Maracanã was in the 1-0 victory of Brazil over Paraguay in a match valid for the 1970 World Cup qualifiers. The match was played on August 31, 1969 and was part of the trajectory that led the Brazilian national team to the conquest of the third world title.
See below the ten biggest paying crowds at Maracanã.
1 – 183,341 – Brazil 1 x 0 Paraguay – 31/8/1969 (Qualifiers)
2 – 177,656 – Fluminense 0 x 0 Flamengo – 15/12/1963 (Carioca)
3 – 174,770 – Flamengo 1 x 1 Vasco – 4/4/1976 (Carioca)
4 – 174,599 – Brazil 4 x 1 Paraguay – 21/3/1954 (Qualifiers)
5 – 173,850 – Brazil 1 x 2 Uruguay – 16/7/1950 (World Cup Final)
6 – 171,599 – Flamengo 2 x 3 Fluminense – 15/6/1969 (Carioca)
7 – 171,599 – Botafogo 0 x 0 Portuguesa-RJ – 15/6/1969 (Carioca)
8 – 165,358 – Flamengo 0 x 0 Vasco – 22/12/1974 (Carioca)
9 – 162,764 – Brazil 6 x 0 Colombia – 9/3/1977 (Qualifiers)
10 – 162,506 – Flamengo 2 x 1 Vasco – 17/10/1954 (Carioca)
Biggest crowds
If we consider the total attendance of the stadium, the first place in the ranking becomes the final of the 1950 World Cup, when Brazil lost to Uruguay 2-1. On that occasion, it is estimated that almost 200,000 people were at the Maracanã.
See below the five biggest crowds in the history of the stadium.
1) Brazil 1×2 Uruguay (1950 World Cup final): 199,854 spectators
2) Brazil 4×1 Paraguay (World Cup Qualifiers, 1954): 195,513 spectators
3) Flamengo 0x0 Fluminense (Carioca Championship Final 1963): 194,603 spectators
4) Brazil 1×0 Paraguay (World Cup Qualifiers, 1969): 183,341 spectators
5) Flamengo 1×1 Vasco (Carioca Championship 1976): 174,770 spectators
