Author: Amrit Santlani
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has announced the venue for the men’s national team’s first match in qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, against Bolivia.
The next edition of the FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and Brazil will begin its qualifying campaign against Bolivia on September 8. The long-awaited match will take place at the Estádio Olímpico do Pará (Mangueirão) in Belém.
The last time the Seleção played in the capital of Pará was in September 2011, when they hosted arch-rivals Argentina for the Superclásico das Américas, a game they won 2-0.
After the renovation work was completed, the Mangueirão arena underwent significant changes, with a capacity for 50,000 people, a pitch in line with FIFA specifications and a new security system.
And that’s not all: new access ramps for fans, as well as other additions to the infrastructure, such as bars, restaurants, medical centers and a huge parking lot for 9,000 vehicles, will help take the fan experience to a new level.
A delegation of Conmebol officials recently inspected the venue and gave their approval to the Mangueirão stadium.
CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues, in his statement, confirmed that the decision was taken with the best interests of the Brazilian national team in mind.
“Throughout this round, we will be looking at issues that we consider to be priorities, such as the players’ travel, the wear and tear on the team, reducing the distances between the venues of the games, and infrastructure that provides comfort and safety for the entire delegation,” he added.
In the previous edition of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Croatia on penalties. Tite subsequently resigned and, after a long wait, Carlo Ancelotti agreed to take over as Brazil’s next coach in 2024. Until the Italian takes over, Fernando Diniz has been hired by the CBF on a 12-month contract.