The historic Maracana will host the World Cup final

A decade ago, the historic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. After almost 13 years, the 2027 Women's World Cup will be held there.

The opening match of the tournament will also be held at this historic stadium. On Thursday (August 20), football's top governing body FIFA released the preliminary schedule for the 32-team World Cup.

The tournament will open with a match against Brazil at Maracana on June 24. This is the first Women's World Cup on South American soil. After almost a month of football competition, the title-deciding final will be held at Maracana on July 25.

The history of the World Cup is also intertwined with this stadium, one of the most traditional in world football. Maracana witnessed Brazil's heartbreaking defeat to Uruguay in the 1950 men's World Cup final.

This time, the same stadium will host the opening and final matches of the Women's World Cup.

FIFA said that each of the eight host cities of the World Cup will host at least seven matches. At least one knockout match has been scheduled in each city. The last 16 matches will be held in Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador.

The quarter-finals will then be held in Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The semi-finals will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

With the announcement of this schedule, the Maracana also became part of a rare record. It will be only the third stadium to host the finals of both the men's and women's FIFA World Cups. Previously, the Rasunda Stadium in Sweden and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, USA, achieved this feat.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, “I am thrilled to think of the passion, the colour and the excitement of the Brazilian fans.” According to him, the eight host cities will make the World Cup joyful and memorable with their diversity.

Former Brazil captain Alain Pellegrino also believes that the excitement of the gallery will spread to the field. In his words, the world's best players will feel that energy of the fans and return it with their performances on the field - which will inspire everyone around the world.