2014 World Cup Arenas Prove to Be 'White Elephants'

06/13/2016 - 09h30

Exactly two years after the opening match of the 2014 World Cup, the venues that received the matches suffer with poor attendance.

Of the 12 stadiums that hosted World Cup games, only Arena Corinthians, in São Paulo, has an occupation rate above 50%.

At the bottom of the list, the worst performances were those of Mané Garrincha stadium, in Brasília, and Arena Pantanal, in Cuiabá, considered 'white elephants.' The first has an occupation rate of only 20%, while the latter has 13%.

By comparison the stadiums of the main European championships, such as those of England and Spain, have occupation rates that amount to 70%. In Germany it is above 90%. The European figures show that, in a general way, soccer is a profitable business.

To make better use of the facility, the Cuiabá stadium has hosted public agencies since the end of the World Cup, such as the Department of Strategic Affairs.

In Manaus, the occupation rate of Arena Amazônia is 31%, however, the stadium has received only 18 matches since the end of the World Cup – an average of one game every two months.

Mineirão stadium receives a reasonable number of fans. With a total capacity of 62,000 people, the facility receives an average of 27,000 fans per match.

"The managers of the arenas understood that the venues will have to adapt. The Brazilian economy is not as thriving as it was before," says Samuel Lloyd, the commercial director of the consortium that runs the stadium.

The solution is to invest in other types of events, such as music concerts. Altogether, Arena das Dunas (with a 25% occupation rate), in Natal, and Fonte Nova stadium (30%), in Salvador, have received more 170 events unrelated to soccer, ranging from automobile exhibitions to circuses.

Even so, Fonte Nova stadium is unprofitable.

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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