Flamengo without the Maracanã: CBF plan for clubs hit by Women’s World Cup | OneFootball

Flamengo could be without the Maracanã for more than a month in 2027

The CBF is working to prevent clubs that will provide stadiums for the 2027 Women’s World Cup from suffering sporting and financial losses. The governing body is putting together next season’s calendar and, above all, looking for an alternative so teams do not have to lose home-field advantage during the tournament.

The competition will take place in Brazil between June 24 and July 25, 2027. In addition, FIFA requires the stadiums to be available exclusively for the organization before and after the matches, which creates a challenge for Brazilian football.

HOW DOES THE CBF PLAN TO AVOID THE LOSS OF HOME ADVANTAGE?

The CBF’s idea is to fit the stadiums’ unavailability period into the break in the national calendar. That way, clubs would be able to keep their home matches even if they temporarily cannot use their usual venues.

At first, the governing body plans to pause national competitions between June 24 and July 25. However, the problem starts before the World Cup kicks off, since FIFA requires the stadiums to be handed over in advance.

For that reason, the CBF is studying the possibility of bringing forward each arena’s unavailability period and adjusting the rounds of the national competitions. This way, clubs would not need to look for other stadiums to play their home matches.

WHICH STADIUMS WILL BE HANDED OVER TO FIFA?

In total, eight stadiums will host Women’s World Cup matches. They are: Maracanã, Neo Química Arena, Mineirão, Beira-Rio, Arena Fonte Nova, Arena Castelão, Arena Pernambuco, and Mané Garrincha.

In addition, each stadium will have a different period of unavailability. The Maracanã, for example, will be the first to enter FIFA’s schedule, since it will host the opening match on June 24.

As a result, the Rio stadium will need to be at the organization’s disposal starting June 10. Other arenas, meanwhile, will begin preparations on different dates, according to the first match scheduled in each host city.

WHY ARE THE CLUBS WORRIED?

The main concern is precisely the loss of home-field advantage. After all, playing away from their own fans can represent a sporting disadvantage and also reduce revenue from ticket sales, luxury boxes, and other stadium sectors.

In this scenario, Corinthians, Internacional, Cruzeiro, and Ceará have not yet defined alternatives for matches that may coincide with the unavailability period. In addition, some clubs have already contacted the CBF to understand how the governing body intends to organize the situation.

Corinthians, for example, made informal inquiries to the confederation. Meanwhile, Internacional left the matter under the responsibility of the vice presidency of Administration, but is still awaiting decisions.

WHAT COULD MAKE SWITCHING STADIUMS MORE DIFFICULT?

Another factor complicates a possible venue change: semi-automated offside. The CBF has determined that any stadium used to host a Série A match must have the system installed and approved.

Therefore, clubs cannot simply choose any available arena to temporarily replace their stadiums. The venue must also meet the competition’s technical requirements.

In Ceará’s case, for example, Presidente Vargas appears as an alternative to Castelão. However, the stadium still does not have the semi-automated offside system, which makes its use for Brasileirão matches more difficult.

WHEN WILL THE CBF DEFINE THE CALENDAR?

The governing body is still working on the full 2027 calendar. For that reason, clubs are waiting for the dates to be announced so they can know exactly which matches may be affected.

Meanwhile, the trend is for the CBF to use the Women’s World Cup period to minimize the effects of handing over the stadiums. In this way, the confederation is trying to preserve home advantage while also meeting all FIFA requirements.

The World Cup will feature 32 national teams and 64 matches in eight Brazilian cities. In addition to the Maracanã, the tournament will also take place in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Salvador, Fortaleza, Recife, and Brasília.

So, the CBF will have to find a balance between the national calendar and hosting the World Cup. For the clubs, the hope is that the solution announced by the governing body will truly avoid stadium changes and, consequently, possible sporting and financial losses.

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION?

— The World Cup could hurt Flamengo a lot. We know how FIFA works, the need to wrap the stadium and close the Maracanã well in advance. Hopefully the CBF puts together a calendar that does not clash with the World Cup — said Pedro Paulo Catonho, a journalist for Coluna do Fla.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.