GeoFootballThe Maracana connects Uruguay's 1950 triumph and Germany's 2014 title in Rio de Janeiro. Its history also explains why calling every decisive match a final can mislead you.
1950 was a decisive group match
Uruguay beat Brazil 2-1 at the Maracana on 16 July 1950. The match decided the world title, but the tournament ended with a four-team final group rather than a conventional knockout final. Brazil needed a draw; Uruguay needed the win. FIFA describes it as a final-round match, a distinction that matters when interpreting historical clues.
The word 'Maracanazo' connects the upset to its ground. It is not a clue to a venue in Uruguay simply because Uruguay won. Keep the host location, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, separate from the champion. A football memory can belong to one country's sporting history and another country's geography.
One host country has several football cities
The 2014 World Cup final also took place at the Maracana, with Germany beating Argentina. Brazil's 7-1 semi-final defeat by Germany was a different match at the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte. Treating those two events as interchangeable loses the very distinction a football-geography question is asking you to make.
First establish which event the clue describes. A 1950 title-deciding match or the 2014 final takes you to Rio; the 2014 Brazil-Germany semi-final does not. Once Rio is clear, use the stadium reference below to refine the answer. Learning that contrast is more reliable than associating every famous Brazil result with the country's most recognizable ground.
Map reference: -22.9121°, -43.2302° · View the stadium on OpenStreetMap. These coordinates identify the point used in the game, rather than a travel entrance.
Check the records
- FIFA: Uruguay-Brazil 1950, final round at the Maracana
- FIFA: seven momentous Maracana matches, including the 2014 final
- FIFA: Germany's 2014 semi-final against Brazil
Compare this ground with the World Cup final venues or Champions League final venues, then try a training round.
Play today's round →Match references at Maracana
- Argentina beat hosts Brazil 1-0 at the Maracanã.10 July 2021
- Ghiggia's winner gave Uruguay a 2-1 victory in the decisive final-round match.16 July 1950
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