Travel bucket list idea:
Watch a local football match
Rio de Janeiro , Southeastern Region, Brazil
Credit Shutterstock.com/marchello74
Last updated: 05 April, 2024
The beach, carnival and football are Rio’s passions, but if locals had to choose just one, it would probably be the beautiful game.
Watching a match – in the national stadium Maracanã, or at local teams Flamengo, Botafogo, Fluminense or Vasco – is an unforgettable experience: the roar from the huge crowd, the pounding of samba drums, the colours and costumes swirl together to create an atmosphere so charged it raises the hairs on the back of your neck – especially at a local derby or a match between the national team and arch-rivals Argentina.
Logistics
Price from: £15
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 13+
Frequency: weekly
When: Weekly
Duration: 4 hours
Getting there & doing it
This is something you definitely need to organise through a tour operator. Buying tickets and negotiating Brazilian football stadiums is tricky, even if you speak Portuguese and know Rio.
An organised tour will last about 4 hours. Tour operators will organise this for you and collect and drop off at hotels and hostels in the city centre and zona sul beaches. It’s also possible to do a designated tour of the iconic Maracanã stadium without seeing a game.
When to do it
The national Brazilian championship, involving the biggest clubs, runs from May to December. Inter-state matches are played from January to April. International matches are played year-round.
