Brazil 2014 - World Cup Cities
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Football Index:
World Cup Finals:
Brazil 2014: Sao Paulo - Arena de Sao Paulo.
Arena de Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo plays host to six World Cup matches, including a semi-final.
Sao Paulo - Arena de Sao Paulo
In the group stage, Sao Paulo hosted fans from 
Belgium, 
Chile, 
Croatia, 
England, 
Netherlands, 
South
Korea and 
Uruguay.
Local fans
could also see Brazil play.
Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo is the financial and business hub of Brazil and biggest city in the country.
Located in south-east Brazil, Sao Paulo is known as the Terra da Garoa (Land of the Drizzle).
The capital of Sao Paulo state, Sao Paulo is the most ethnically diverse city in Brazil thanks to the inpouring of immigrants looking for work in the early 19th century.
Sao Paulo is not all about work though and if you like eating out, you'll have an international range of gastronomic menus to choose from. Shoppers will enjoy the place too.
Football in Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo is where Charles Miller introduced the game of football to Brazil in 1894.
The city is also home to Corinthians, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo FC.
Arena de Sao Paulo - Sao Paulo
2014 World Cup Finals fixtures played at Arena de Sao Paulo.
Thursday, 12th June
Group A
Brazil vs Croatia (3:1)
Thursday, 19th June
Group D
Uruguay vs England (2:1)
Monday, 23rd June
Group B
Netherlands vs Chile (2:0)
Thursday, 26th June
Group H
South Korea vs Belgium (0:1)
Tuesday, 1st July
Second Round
Argentina vs Switzerland 
(1:0
aet)
Wednesday, 9th July
Semi-final
Netherlands vs Argentina (0:0aet
- 2:4pens)
Sao Paulo Accommodation
Where to Stay in Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo Tourism
Sao Paulo is often overlooked by visitors to Brazil who prefer the coastal cities of Rio de Janeiro and Salvador de Bahia and the beach culture of the north-east.
Sao Paulo is a large, sprawling city that on first impressions seems little more than a concrete jungle. It is worth spending a few days here though and then maybe heading out to the coast; Sao Paulo state has 622 kilometres of beaches.
State of Sao Paulo
Thanks to their hard-working ethic, Paulistas have transformed Sao Paulo into one of the most important economic states in Latin America.
Getting to Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo by Air
If you fly to Sao Paulo from abroad, you'll mostly likely land at Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) - also known as Cumbica.
Viracopos (CPQ) is also an international airport, used when weather conditions prevent landing at Cumbica, while Congonhas (CGH) is used for most medium and short-haul domestic flights.
Sao Paulo by Road
Such a large city needs a few bus terminals, just to make things a little more confusing for visitors.
Terminal Rodoviario do Tiete serves destinations throughout Brazil and major destinations in neighbouring countries: Asuncion in Paraguay (20 hrs), Buenos Aires in Argentina (36 hrs), Montevideo in Uruguay (30 hrs) and Santiago de Chile (56 hrs).
Terminal Rodoviario da Barra Funda serves western cities in Sao Paulo state, Mato Grosso, Foz do Iguacu and west Parana cities.
Terminal Rodoviario de Jabaquara serves the state's southern cities: Guaruja, Santos and Bertioga.
Travel to Brazil
Brazil Travel Notes:
Brazil tourist information with details about travel to and around the country. Where to
stay and what to see is made easier with insider tips and hand-selected Brazil links, by
dedicated editors and visitors to TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel.
2014 World Cup Cities
Belo Horizonte: 1st Round (4) - Second Round - Semi-final.
Brasilia: 1st Round (4) - Second Round - Quarter-final - Third Place Match.
Cuiaba: 1st Round (4).
Curitiba: 1st Round (4).
Fortaleza: 1st Round (4) - Second Round - Quarter-final.
Manaus: 1st Round (4).
Natal: 1st Round (4).
Porto Alegre: 1st Round (4) - Second Round.
Recife: 1st Round (4) - Second Round.
Rio de Janeiro: 1st Round (4) - Second Round - Quarter-final - 2014 World Cup Final.
Salvador: 1st Round (4) - Second Round - Quarter-final.
Sao Paulo: 1st Round (4) - Second Round - Semi-final.
The Road to Rio
2014 World Cup Finals - Knockout Stage.
World Cup Finals
Uruguay 1930:
Uruguay trailed Argentina at half-time (1:2) but replied with three goals in the second half; to win the first ever World Cup Final (4-2)
on July 30th, 1930.
Italy 1934:
Italy were one of the countries who missed out on the vote to host the first World Cup but managed to win the prestigious golden trophy
for the home fans.
France 1938:
The third World Cup was held in Europe for a second time, although Germany had annexed Austria, and Spain was in civil turmoil.
Brazil 1950:
Although no cup-final as such, Uruguay and Brazil went into their final game with the winner guaranteed to be champions; a draw would be enough for Brazil.
Switzerland 1954:
The fifth World Cup tournament produced a record number of goals, including a 7:5 encounter between Austria and Switzerland in Lausanne.
Sweden 1958:
Brazil presented a 17 year-old Pele to the world; who went on to claim a hat-trick in Brazil's 5:2 semi-final win over France and bag another two in the final.
Chile 1962:
Czechoslovakia overcame Hungary in the quarter-finals and Yugoslavia in the semis, while Brazil took care of England and the host nation, Chile.
England 1966:
Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick, in the final against West Germany, as England triumphed in a thrilling game watched by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Mexico 1970:
1970 belonged to Pelé, who earned his third World Cup winners' medal when Brazil got their hands on the Jules Rimet Cup.... for keeps.
W. Germany 1974:
Johan Cruyff was the player of the tournament as total football became the buzzword of the day, even though Holland lost to West Germany in the 1974 final.
Argentina 1978:
Holland contested the 1978 World Cup Final, in Argentina, for the second time in a row. As in West Germany,
they again finished runners-up; to the hosts.
Spain 1982:
The Spain 82 World Cup finals increased to 24 teams and the format was changed to have two group stages, with four second-round groups of three.
Mexico 1986:
In 1986, Mexico became the first nation to stage the World Cup Finals for a second time; having only staged the competition sixteen years previously.
Italy 1990:
In 1990, Italy became the World Cup of stalemates. Both semi-finals were drawn out through penalty kicks. In the final itself, the only goal came from the spot.
USA 1994:
Once Team US had played a few games most of the nation began to understand they were hosting the greatest show on earth and how the game was played.
France 1998:
France became the sixth nation to win the World Cup on home soil. Thirty-two teams competed in the 16th World Cup; better known as France 98.
Korea-Japan 2002:
The 17th World Cup, held in Korea and Japan, was the first World Cup finals to be shared by two hosts and the first to be held in Asia.
Germany 2006:
The 2006 World Cup Finals ran from 9th June to 9th July; the opening
match in Munich and the final in Berlin. Munich and Dortmund hosted the
semi-finals.
South Africa 2010:
Eighty years after the First World Cup Finals in Uruguay, the world's most prestigious football competition was finally hosted on the African continent.
Brazil 2014:
Five times World Cup Champions, Brazil, get a second chance to hold the prestigious World Cup Finals; 64 years after they last hosted the tournament.
Russia 2018:
VAR made its World Cup debut and set out to change the course of a game with some crucial rule infringement watching and vital on the spot decisions.
Qatar 2022:
When FIFA executives met in Zurich to decide on who would host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup Finals, Qatar was probably the biggest surprise to many.
United 2026:
The 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico
and the United States. The United Bid won the hosting rights ahead of
Morocco.
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