Arena Da Amazonia - Manaus, World Cup

We get the lowdown on the Amazon-outpost of Manaus as a World Cup venue, to arm you with what you'll need to know to actually travel there.

Fact File

City – Manaus 
Stadium name – Arena da Amazonia 
Stadium capacity – 46,000 
World Cup games – 4 
Time zone – 4 hours behind GMT

Matches

Group D – England v Italy 
Group A – Cameroon v Croatia 
Group G – USA v Portugal 
Group E – Honduras v Switzerland

The city

Manaus is the capital of Amazonas state and nearly 1,000 miles into the sweltering heart of the Amazon rainforest. This makes its Amazonia stadium a daunting prospect for football, but the city itself remains a popular tourist destination surrounded by unparalleled scenery and biodiversity.

Driving there is nigh on impossible under your own steam – unless you have unlimited time and nerves of steel. Instead, you’ll probably fly into Manaus from Rio or Sao Paulo.

You can also fly direct from Miami (American Airlines) and, as of June 2014, from Lisbon with TAP Portugal, so check whether these routes can give you better savings overall.

The Eduardo Gomes International Airport is approximately 9 miles north of Manaus, with transfers from £12ish.

Manaus World Cup stadium

Manaus’ Arena da Amazonias is one of Brazil's new-build world cup stadiums and designed to echo traditional indigenous baskets. So far, delays have pushed back completion to an as yet unnamed date in early 2014.

The Amazonia is under 5 miles north of the centre, in the Flores district and on the city’s main artery. Getting there from central Manaus is easily done in 10 minutes or so by taxi (approx. £8).

Manaus hotels

If you want to go really upmarket, try the resorts in the Ponta Negra area replete with river beaches on the Rio Negro tributary of the fabled Amazon river.

Otherwise, Cesar Business Manaus and Hotel Millenium are within walking distance of the stadium. TripAdvisor recommends Park Suites Manaus, Go Inn Manaus and Holiday Inn Manaus in the city centre – which is also where you’ll find most nightlife, bars and restaurants.

World Cup tickets

England play Italy in the Amazonia on 14th June, their opening group match, and 8% of the stadium is reserved for travelling England supporters – about 3,500 tickets.

This allocation is available to EnglandFans members, so if you're not a paid-up FA member (costs £37.50) you'll have to try FIFA's final ticket windows where tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis from 12 March to 1 April, and 15 April to 13 July. Good luck!

The only way to guarantee tickets for Arena da Amazonias is if you purchase through eSeats.com, a licensed tickets agency based in Scottsdale, Arizona.  eSeats.com is a member of the NATB and A+ Rated with the BBB. 

Plan your travel to Manaus

Getting to Manaus isn't simple; it's an awfully long way so the cost can quickly rack up. Compare your direct flight options and internal transfers from other Brazilian cities to find the best journey for your budget.

Remember to sort out your travel insurance immediately thereafter, or once you've booked an official Thomson package.

Plus, think about ways to keep your phone bill down and beat the best rates on Brazilian Real currency before you go – whether that's with a use-abroad credit card, a prepaid card or pre-ordered cash.

Local knowledge

TripAdvisor reckons Banzeiro, Tambaqui de Banda and Restaurante Naia (in the Holiday Inn!) are the city’s top 3 restaurants. Alternatively you can find quick and cheap eats in the Amazonas shopping centre near the stadium, plus entertainment. Obviously, the Amazon River is the major attraction here and perfect for those with a sense of adventure.

Manaus average temperature (June): 27.5°C 
Manaus average rainfall (June): 84mm

Football hipsters

Manaus may not have many notable clubs, but the city did export professional footballer Lima (real name: Grancisco Lima Govinho) to Europe where he won the Italian Supercoppa at Roma. If you really must know, the main clubs are Nacional Futebol Clube, Rio Negro, Sao Raimundo, Fast Clube and Sul America.

Stadium: Arena Amazonia
Country: Brazil
City: Manaus
Capacity: 42377