Sports Desk: Brazil is going home on Sunday for the first time in six years.The Maracana will stage the Copa America final, where Brazil will play for a 10th title against defending champion Chile or underdog Peru. The final will mark the first match for many Brazil players at the 87,000-seat Rio de Janeiro stadium, which has featured two World Cup finals and the Rio de Janeiro Olympic soccer finals among many noteworthy matches. Even Brazil’s Tite has not coached at the Maracana since he took the job in 2016. The last Brazil match at the stadium was in June 2013, when the Seleção routed then-world and European champion Spain 3-0 in the Confederations Cup final. Brazilian fans are expected to recreate that electric atmosphere and back the team to its first Copa America title since 2007. Chile and Peru meet in Porto Alegre later Wednesday for the other place in the final.
Brazil was initially scheduled to end its most recent World Cup qualifying campaign at the Maracanã. But the match against Chile in October 2017 was moved to São Paulo’s Allianz Parque because of legal problems involving the Maracana.
Corruption scandals and frequent changes in the administration stained the stadium that was revamped for the 2014 World Cup. Brazil would have played at its Rio home if it had reached the final, but losing to Germany 7-1 in the semifinals delayed its return.The Maracana has not been used for Brazil friendlies in years. In recent times, only the country’s Olympic team has played there, including in the final of the 2016 Rio Games.
The Maracana was also where Brazil last won a home Copa America in 1989. Striker Romario scored the only goal in a win against Uruguay in front of more than 132,000 fans. Back then, stadium tickets were cheap and seats were close to the pitch.