Estadio Mineirao - World Cup Stadium

If you're travelling to the other side of the world for football, you'll both want and need to keep the costs down. We show you how to do just that in Belo Horizonte.

Fact File

City – Belo Horizonte
Stadium name – Mineirao
Stadium capacity – 62,170
World Cup games – 6
Time zone – 3 hours behind GMT

Matches

Group C – Colombia v Greece
Group H – Belgium v Algeria
Group F – Argentina v Iran
Group D – Costa Rica v England
Round of 16 – Winner Group A v Runner-Up Group B
Semi-Final – TBC

The city

Belo Horizonte (literally “Beautiful Horizon”) in Minas Gerais state was named for its mountain views. It also enjoys a flourishing arts and cultural scene, including some of Brazil’s best architecture.

The city is approximately 200 miles from Rio de Janeiro and nearly double that from Sao Paulo, so hiring a car is just about feasible; alternatively you can jump on a coach for £50ish or fly internally to its Aeroporto da Pampulha – flights starting at around £90 with TAM or GOL airlines.

Airport transfers are nice and cheap, about £2.50 each way.

Belo Horizonte stadium

The relative progress (or in some cases, lack thereof) made by Brazil’s World Cup stadia has been well documented but the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte was already an established footballing Mecca.

The Mineirao can be found in the city’s northern Pampulha district, about 9 miles from downtown. Work done to the stadium includes adding a new bottom tier, roof extension and facilities upgrade.

Get there from central Belo using either of the no.64 or no.2004 buses – it can take up to an hour.

Belo Horizonte hotels

Take your pick from the fashionable Lourdes area, quieter Pampulha or buzzing Savassi. Pampulha has the benefit of being closer to the stadium while Savassi is great for its nearby bars and clubs.

TripAdvisor reckons the best hotels in Belo Horizonte are the Quality Hotel Afonso Pena, Oura Minas Palace Hotel and Clarion Hotel Lourdes respectively. Think about your budget and compare hotel deals accordingly.

World Cup tickets

There are three levels of priority accorded to World Cup tickets at the Mineirao. 

• You can guarantee tickets by booking your tickets through eSeats.com.  

Plan your travel to Belo Horizonte

Remember to sort out your travel insurance well in advance; if you're spending this much on a holiday then you must protect it. Likewise you’ll end up spending a fair amount while in Brazil itself so make sure you get the best deal you can on Brazilian currency, whether as cash or plastic. (Brazil does have a reputation for card fraud, so make sure you read up on your issuer's policy before you go.)

Beyond that it's a case of comparing your self-booking or World Cup package options to decide which fits your budget and your priorities the best.

Local knowledge

TripAdvisor identifies Provincia di Salerno, La Victoria and Vecchio Sogno as the city's top 3 restaurants. Alternatively you can find cheap eats in Belo’s Central Market, including the local specialty, liver with aubergine.

If that "liver and aubergine" isn’t bizarre enough locals claim that cars on the sloping Rua do Amendoim travel uphill when placed in a neutral gear, rather than rolling away downhill!

Belo Horizonte average temperature (June): 25°C
Belo Horizonte average rainfall (June): 0.6 inches

Football hipsters

Belo Horizonte is home to 2 major clubs, Cruzeiro and Atletico Mineiro. In 2013, the former won the Brazilian Championship while Atletico won South America Champion’s League equivalent, the Copa Libertadores. The rivalry is fierce. Don’t forget to name-drop Tostao, the local hero who won the 1970 World Cup with Brazil before retiring aged just 25 due to injury.

Stadium: Estadio Mineirao
Country: Brazil
City: Belo Horizonte
Capacity: 62547