Arena Pernambuco - World Cup Stadium Recife

Recife Travel Guide by Bill from Money.co.uk

There are five World Cup games to choose from in Recife's Arena Pernambuco, so plenty of football to sink your teeth into. Here's what you need to know to get your money's worth.

Fact File

City – Recife 
Stadium name – Arena Pernambuco 
Stadium capacity – 46,000 
World Cup games – 5 
Time zone – 3 hours behind GMT

Matches

Group C – Ivory Coast v Japan 
Group D – Italy v Costa Rica 
Group A – Croatia v Mexico 
Group G – USA v Germany 
Round of 16 – Winner Group D v Runner-Up Group C

The city

You know how Birmingham tries to claim the title Venice of the North? Well, Recife on the Atlantic coast (Pernambuco state) calls itself Veneza Brasileira or the Brazilian Venice.

The city, pronounced "heh-see-fee", is pretty much on Brazil’s eastern-most point, and does indeed have countless rivers and bridges but is perhaps most famous for the 8km long Boa Viagem beach.

You can fly into Guararapes Airport from most major Brazilian cities, or internationally from Lisbon and Madrid with TAP Portugal so check which route is the cheapest option.

Recife World Cup stadium

The Itaipava Arena Pernambuco was built specially for the Brazil World Cup and completed in May 2013. After the finals the 46,000-seater stadium will be taken over by club-side Nautico.

The stadium has taken centre stage in the new Cidade da Copa (City of the Cup) development in west Recife, around 11 miles out from downtown, but it's not all ready yet. Eateries and entertainment should follow.

A taxi out from the plush Boa Viagem area (for around £7) might take up to 20mins.

Recife hotels

Most of your accommodation options (including the luxury varieties) can all be found in and around Boa Viagem towards the south of Recife. How close you get to the beach usually dictates how much you’ll pay and what you’ll get.

Trip Advisor hotels in Recife’s top 6 include the Hotel Atlante Plaza, Transamerica Prestige Beach Class International, Nobile Beach Class Executive, Mar Hotel Recife and Ibis Recife. 

World Cup tickets

FIFA's You can get guaranteed match tickets for Itaipava Arena Pernambuco unless you book your tickets directly through eSeats.com, a licensed and accredited ticket agency based in Scottdale, Arizona USA.  eSeats.com is a member of the NATB and all ticket sales come with a money back guarantee. 

England aren’t scheduled to play in Recife in the World Cup Group Stages, but will play there if they win Group D. In fact, five games (one of which might be England) makes Recife a pretty attractive base for your Brazil trip.

Plan your travel to Recife

Whether you do book a tour package or decide to go-it yourself, make sure you compare your options to drive down the cost. This includes travel insurance for your trip and the rates available on Brazil's Real$ currency.

With flights in from both Lisbon and Madrid, adding an extra short-haul flight into either airport before flying direct to Recife – rather than simply flying Heathrow to Brazil – might save you money if not time.

Local knowledge

The best bars, restaurants and nightlife can all be found along the Boa Viagem beach touted as one of South America’s finest. TripAdvisor rates Leite, Thaal Cuisine, Spettus Steak House, Camarada Camarao and Bargaco highest.

Recife average temperature (June): 25°C 
Recife average rainfall (June): 375mm

Football hipsters

Who cares that Rivaldo was born, grew up and began his career in Recife? Seventy-four international caps for Brazil is so passé. We much prefer Juninho Pernambucano (not Middlesbrough’s Juninho) who may just be the greatest dead ball specialist of all time.

You should brush up on your Classicos too – the rivalries between Sport Recife, Santa Cruz and Nautico are known variously as the Classico dos Classicos, Classico das Multidoes and Classico dos Campeoes.

Stadium: Arena Pernambuco
Country: Brazil
City: Recife
Capacity: 44248