Estádio do Maracanã to host FIFA women’s show marquee fixtures

Article posted by Coliseum, September 9^th, 2026

Image: Coliseum GSVA

The FIFA recently unveiled the match schedule for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ confirming when and where all the 64 fixtures will be played across Brazil’s eight vibrant host cities.

The opening match and the Final will be held at the majestic Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro.

‘FIFA’ stated that the announcement was made at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, during the live draw show for the preliminary phase of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ Play-Off Tournament.

The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is scheduled to be the 10^th edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, the quadrennial international women’s football championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will include 32 teams for the second time after FIFA announced the expansion of the tournament in July 2019. Spain are the defending champions having won their first title in 2023. This will be the second and last edition of the tournament to be contested by 32 teams with FIFA expanding to 48 teams for the next edition in 2031. Brazil is the host country with the football showpiece to be held from June 24^th-July 25^th, 2027.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ Play-Off Tournament is an inter-confederation qualification event that decides the final three national teams to secure a spot in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™.

‘FIFA’ further stated that hosts Brazil will begin their campaign at the 73,139-seat Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro on June 24^th before playing their two other group-stage matches at the 48,905-seat Arena Itaquera in São Paulo on June 29^th and at the 37,593-seat Estádio Nacional in Brasília on July 4^th.

Knockout Fixture

All eight host cities will stage at least seven matches including a minimum of one knockout fixture. Brasília, Porto Alegre, Recife, and Salvador will host the matches until the Round-of-16. Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza will join Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo as venues for the Quarterfinals.

Women’s Football History

Said Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, “We can’t wait to witness a new chapter of women’s football history unfold when the world’s best players, the coaches, the fans, and the local communities take centre stage in Brazil next year. I already have goosebumps thinking about the incredible passion, color and energy that the Brazilian fans will bring to the tournament as they welcome the world to the eight vibrant host cities.”

FIFA Fan Festivals

The match schedule is also designed to build excitement throughout the tournament culminating in an epic Final. São Paulo, the beating heart of women’s football in South America, will host one Semifinal and the Bronze Final before the tournament reaches its grand finale in Rio de Janeiro. The other Semifinal and Final will take place at the iconic Estádio do Maracanã with the FIFA Fan Festivals adding to the celebration and giving the fans the opportunity to experience the excitement of the tournament in one of the world’s most vibrant cities as well as across Brazil.

Epic FIFA Women’s World Cup™

Added Dame Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, “As we developed the match schedule we carefully balanced the sporting fairness across all 32 teams considering the travel distances, the recovery time between the matches and the overall competition experience. At the same time, we wanted to ensure that the fans across Brazil could be part of the excitement and that each host city could play its role in this celebration of women’s football. We are especially excited that the tournament will begin at the iconic Estádio do Maracanã thus setting the stage for what promises to be an epic FIFA Women’s World Cup™.”

The Estádio do Maracanã will become only the third stadium to host both a FIFA World Cup™ Final and a FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Final thus joining the now-demolished 36,608-seat Råsunda Stadium in Solna, Sweden (1958 and 1995) and the 89,702-seat Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, US (1994 and 1999).

“The little girl Aline who used to play football in the streets of São Paulo could never have dreamed of a day like this,” said the former captain of the Brazilian women’s national team and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ Executive Director of Legacy and Stakeholder Affairs, Aline Pellegrino.

‘Unforgettable Celebration’

Put in Pellegrino, “Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Brazil is a source of immense pride. Next year, we will see people from across Brazil and around the world come together to celebrate women’s football in a country renowned for its love of the game. Each host city will add its own unique flavor making this a colorful, joyful and unforgettable celebration. The world’s best players will feel that energy from the stands and they will give it back on the pitch through moments and performances that will inspire the girls and boys around the world.”

Match Schedule

The match schedule is now available on FIFA’s digital platforms thus enabling the fans to start planning their tournament experience while the eight host cities, the host country authorities and the local stakeholders continue their preparations to welcome the world to Brazil in 2027. The next version of the match schedule will be published following the final draw which will take place later this year.

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