Curitaba passes World Cup organizers' test
Arena da Baixada still isn't finished, but officials remain confident
World Cup organizers finally had some good news to deliver after one of Brazil’s most troubled stadiums held an important test event without any major setback.
The test match at the delayed Arena da Baixada in the southern city of Curitiba on Wednesday was a step forward, local officials were pleased to say on Thursday.
There were some problems during the friendly between Corinthians and host Atletico Paranaense, with fans facing difficulty getting into the venue, but organizers said that was expected as the stadium infrastructure remains unfinished.
"The pressure paid off after we had all the delays with construction work," said Ricardo Trade, CEO of the local World Cup organizing committee.
"There are some adjustments to make, but everything went well."
3 stadiums still not finished
- Arenda da Baixada in Curitaba still requires some seats to be installed and work outside the stadium
- Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba is not yet completed
- Itaquero in Sao Paolo hosts the World Cup opener on June 12, but still needs work. It will host a test on Sunday.
"We are in the final stretch, there’s not a lot left to be done," Atletico Paranaense president Celso Petraglia said. Atletico will try to hold another test match before the World Cup.
The 40,000-capacity Arena da Baixada will host four World Cup matches next month — Iran-Nigeria, Honduras-Ecuador, Australia-Spain and Algeria-Russia.