South America now has, starting this Wednesday (22), a new tourism route dedicated to the world of sports: the Mercosur Football Tourism Route, launched by Brazil, the country currently presiding over the economic bloc. The first phase of the route’s implementation will include stadiums and museums from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Bolivia.
“We’re using the passion that unites our continent to create an integrated, powerful, and sustainable tourism product,” highlighted Tourism Minister Celso Sabino. “The Route will strengthen the ‘Visit South America’ brand and, consequently, attract more foreign visitors to Brazil, generating development and strengthening our cultural ties,” he added.
From Brazil, the route will include Allianz Parque, Arena BRB Mané Garrincha, Arena Castelão, Arena do Grêmio, Beira-Rio, Estádio Mangueirão, Maracanã, Museu do Botafogo, Museu do Flamengo, Museu do Futebol, Museu Pelé, Neo Química Arena, and Vila Belmiro.
From Argentina: Gigante de Arroyito, La Bombonera, Más Monumental, Presidente Perón, and Uno de La Plata. From Uruguay: Estádio Centenário de Montevidéu; from Paraguay: Museu Conmebol; from Chile: Parque Estádio Nacional; and from Bolivia: Estádio Félix Caprile, Estádio Hernando Siles, and Estádio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera.
“The Mercosur Football Stadiums Route is a way to value this identity that we share with our South American brothers and to show the world the strength that football has in our culture,” said Sports Minister André Fufuca.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the Route aims to integrate the bloc’s main stadiums that have symbolic value, tourist appeal, and reception capacity. Selection criteria include historical relevance, guided tour offerings, museums or memory centers, as well as accessibility and adequate infrastructure.
Football in Brazil is much more than a sport; it’s the expression of our culture, our Brazilianness, our unique way of being, and that has everything to do with tourism. Just this year, Brazilian cities that are part of the Route received more than 3 million tourists from Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Bolivia,” emphasized Embratur president Marcelo Freixo.
Four of the Brazilian stadiums included in the Route will host matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027: Arena BRB Mané Garrincha, Beira-Rio, Maracanã, and Neo Química Arena. The event will take place for the first time in Latin America and will feature matches in eight Brazilian capitals. The matches will be held from June 24 to July 25, 2027.
Source: Agência Brasil