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Key facts<\/h3>\n

Clubs: Cruzeiro EC | Opening: 1965 | Capacity: 64,000 seats<\/p>\n

History and description<\/h3>\n

Mineir\u00e3o, officially called Est\u00e1dio Governador Magalh\u00e3es Pinto, was built to provide the city of Belo Horizonte with a larger alternative for Est\u00e1dio Independ\u00eancia<\/a>, then the prime venue of the city.<\/p>\n

The stadium, projected with a capacity of 130,000 spectators, was meant to become the most modern stadium of Brazil and the new home of Atl\u00e9tico Mineiro and Cruzeiro.<\/p>\n

Construction took almost five years, and on 5 September 1965 Mineirao officially opened with a match between a selection from the state of Minas Gerais and Argentine side River Plate (1-0).<\/p>\n

Mineirao hardly changed in the following decades, and in the 1990s still had its original capacity. It was in 1997 when the record attendance attendance of 132,834 was set in a match between Cruzeiro and Vila Nova.<\/p>\n

When Brazil won their bid to host the 2014 World Cup<\/a>, it was clear that Mineirao needed to undergo a large redevelopment. The project included the complete reconstruction of the bottom tier, an extension of the roof, and further refurbishments to upgrade the stadium to FIFA standards.<\/p>\n

Building works took a total of three years, and were completed in December 2012. The first match at the reopened Mineir\u00e3o was played on 3 February 2013 with a friendly derby between Atl\u00e9tico and Cruzeiro.<\/p>\n

While Cruzeiro agreed on a lease to play the next 25 years at Mineirao, Atl\u00e9tico did not come to an agreement and kept playing most matches at Est\u00e1dio Independ\u00eancia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mineirao hosted a total of six matches during the 2014 World Cup, including the round of 16 match between Brazil and Chile (1-1) and the semi-final between Germany and Brazil (7-1). The stadium was also one of the playing venues of the 2013 Confederations Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t

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(photos of the present Mineir\u00e3o below)<\/p>\n

How to get to Mineirao<\/h3>\n

Mineir\u00e3o is located in the Pampulha area in the north of the city of Belo Horizonte at about 9 kilometres from the downtown area.<\/p>\n

You can get to the stadium with bus<\/a> 64. Take the bus from the Avenida Augusto de Lima in downtown Belo Horizonte. Take the bus that goes to Estacao Venda Nova. It\u00a0 passes right in front of the stadium – the journey takes about 50 minutes.<\/p>\n

Bus 2004 is an alternative. It can be caught from the Avenida Jo\u00e3o Pinheiro. Take it in the direction of Bandeirantes – the journey is of equal length as bus 64.<\/p>\n

Address: Av. Ant\u00f4nio Abrah\u00e3o Caram 1001, S\u00e3o Luiz, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte<\/p>\n