Ultimate Brazil – 11 Day Football Adventure in Rio de Janeiro POPULAR

Today is gathering day, people from all over the world will arrive today at different times. Regardless of that, if you have booked an airport transfer (as an extra), it will be waiting for you. Your Trip Manager will arrange a private car for you once you land.

If you arrive in the afternoon, check-in and room will be ready. For arrivals in the morning, we will do our best to accommodate you, but please bear in mind will be upon availability.

For the rest of the day, you can take it easy and recover from your long travels. At night, your travel manager and local host will be on hand with the best recommendations for a great dinner.

And why not begin the experience with some Brazilian steaks and some caipirinhas? Enjoy the most out of your first day and feel the heat!

In the morning, our local host will offer you a range of activities to do in the good Brazilian weather. Why not do a Homefans Favela Tour and get to know the life inside the favela and try different local food? Or hike the "Two Brothers" hill and have the view of the city?

PLEASE NOTE - THIS MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE MAY BE MOVED TO ANOTHER DAY, WE WILL CONFIRM THE FINAL SCHEDULE WHEN FIXTURES ARE ANNOUNCED.

We are straight into the first match today - Flamengo!

Before the match, we will take you to a bar called Chico's and have some beers with Flamengo supporters. They always play a lot of music before the match starts! Flamengo over the past years is fighting for the 1st place in the league and anything can happen in a thrilling Maracanã.

Let’s wake up early because we have got a busy day ahead! After a delicious breakfast, you will meet the group and together, make our way to the stadium of Botafogo, Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos. The build was finished in 2007 and it hosted the athletics competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics. We will go on a stadium tour and get to know more about this stadium and the history of Botafogo. To give you a hint, their glory days are in the past. They used to have the best team in Brazil. Of all clubs, Botafogo had the most players for the national team in that period. Names such as Carlos Alberto Torres and Garrincha have an important role in their history. In the afternoon, you will have free time to explore the city, have a nice walk in the lagoon, get some sun, meet with locals and play sports at the beach. You have the freedom to choose and our local host will be always available for the activities.

Today, we meet in the afternoon. In the morning, you can do some sightseeing around Christ The Redeemer, Sugarloaf or get to know other amazing beaches close to Copacabana. The best ones are Ipanema and Leblon. Matheus will be at your disposal for anything. After that, in the afternoon, we will go to the most old school and authentic stadium in Brazil, São Januário, from Vasco da Gama. We will get a tour at the stadium that is located in the middle of the favelas. Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. We can also have lunch in their headquarters and taste some beautiful codfish. The ground has a capacity of around 15,000 supporters and the Ultras are one of the most intense in Brazil. A nice curiosity to know about: The club raised through their youth academy names such as Romário, Juninho and Phillipe Coutinho. So there’s plenty of history to learn about!

PLEASE NOTE - THIS MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE MAY BE MOVED TO ANOTHER DAY, WE WILL CONFIRM THE FINAL SCHEDULE WHEN FIXTURES ARE ANNOUNCED.

Vasco! Clube de Regatas Vasco da Gama and was founded originally as a rowing club before later building its football team. It has an impressive success rate with 22 wins at the state championship and four wins at Brazilian National League. The team’s colours are black and white, as with Botafogo, but the mascot of Vasco – a red and white admiral ship that represents the Portuguese helmsman Vasco da Gama – clearly distinguishes it from rivals. In terms of fans, Vasco is the second largest team in Rio de Janeiro.

Get ready to go back to this local neighbourhood to try more steaks and street food barbecue! As always, an amazing football experience ahead of you! As for logistics, it will be pretty much the same as the tour. You will meet Mateus in the hotel and go by taxis to the pitch, around 4 hours early, so you have time to enjoy the pre-match experience. Around 45 minutes before the game starts, go to the seats and enjoy football!

Its been a busy trip so far and so today is left to you to do as you please. Maybe you'll choose to simply relax and the beach - but if you choose to do more you host can help you plan the perfect day.

It is time for Maracanã Stadium Tour! Officially called Estádio Mário Filho, was built to serve as the flagship venue for the 1950 World Cup. It was meant to become the biggest football stadium in the world. Construction began in August 1948 and was completed almost two years later. Eight days later, Maracanã hosted the opening match of the 1950 World Cup between Brazil and Mexico (4-0). It would go on to host four more matches in the first round group stage and a further three in the second round stage, among which the deciding final match between Uruguay and Brazil (2-1). The official attendance of the final was about 173,000 paying spectators, but it is estimated that more than 200,000 witnessed the game live from the stands. When Brazil got awarded the 2014 World Cup in 2007, it was clear that Maracanã was destined to host the final and would, therefore, need a massive redevelopment.

The stadium can be easily accessed by metro and train. Maracanã station is a stop on metro line 2, which can be boarded in downtown Rio or the Flamengo and Botafogo areas. It can also be reached with a transfer from line 1, which runs from the Copacabana and Ipanema areas.

Our local host will meet you in the hotel and head by subway to the stadium. We've been many times with groups over there and we can't get enough of this! Every time you step on the field, magical things can happen!

PLEASE NOTE - THIS MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE MAY BE MOVED TO ANOTHER DAY, WE WILL CONFIRM THE FINAL SCHEDULE WHEN FIXTURES ARE ANNOUNCED.

Today will be dedicated to some quality group time at the beach in the morning and football in the afternoon/night! We will meet up around 9:00, book a nice place at Copacabana and get some sun while drinking beers and caipirinhas, wrapping up the weekend. After that, we can have lunch and go to the last game of this amazing trip!

The Botafogo Matchday Experience will take you through a day filled with football, culture, and history as you will experience a match of Botafogo, in the incredible Olympic Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro. This private experience will leave you filled with unforgettable memories and a ton of amazing highlights! You will have an authentic experience of going on a Botafogo match as if you were a local fan, living the carioca football culture in the middle of one of the most passionate fans in Brazil as if you had lived this all your life!

PLEASE NOTE - THIS MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE MAY BE MOVED TO ANOTHER DAY, WE WILL CONFIRM THE FINAL SCHEDULE WHEN FIXTURES ARE ANNOUNCED.

Our trip is, unfortunately, reaching its final and we are sure you having the best time possible. We've been to tons of beaches, drunk caipirinhas, eat amazing steaks and had a lot of activities, but we still have two more games to watch. Today we are joining Fluminense supporters, with colours which are easily identified by the striking contrast of maroon, green and white, earning the team its nickname of "tricolor carioca". Founded in 1902, it has a notable history of success with 31 wins at state championships and four wins at Brazilian National League to add to its impressive CV.

End of the journey!

It is time to say goodbye, pack your stuff and go back home!

If you booked the extra airport transfer, a private car will pick you up in the hotel and take you to the airport, called Galeão. Please be ready around 4 hours before your flight, because of traffic and possible delays.

Our Operations Team will send you the exact times when we receive your flight information.

Safe travels to everybody!