JUST THE FACTS

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FUTEBOL?

The most complete listings for games across Brazil is at globoesporte.com. It’s difficult to navigate without some Portuguese, so here are tips: •Click on the “futebol” tab. •Choose either the national leagues on the left or the appropriate state league along the right. (Note: carioca (EQUAL) Rio de Janeiro; paulista (EQUAL) Sao Paulo; gaucho (EQUAL) Rio Grande do Sul) •The resulting page lists the next round of matchups (to the right of the standings) and you can click through to later dates.

MATCH DAY

•Look up team colours on Google and avoid wearing them. •Eat before you go; food options in and around the stadium are limited and not necessarily good. •Leave backpacks and valuables at home, but bring sunscreen and small bills for beverage vendors. •Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to stand the whole game. •Allow more time than you think to get to the stadium and arrive a minimum of an hour in advance. •If two local teams are playing, exercise extra caution outside the stadium as tensions between opposing fans can run high.

•Different ticket booths may sell different kinds of tickets; if you’re going grandstand, ask around for “arquibancada” (ar-key-ban-CAda).

•Enter the stadium well before the game to find seats.

•Sit toward the edges of the grandstand at first, edging in depending on the level of mayhem desired.

SCHEDULE

The top professional soccer clubs play virtually year-round, with a brief break in late December and early January. Roughly the first half of the year is dominated by state-level competitions, and the second half by the four-tiered national league; games for both are usually on Wednesdays and weekends.

GLOSSARY

futebol – (foo-tchee-BOW): soccer

Uma (duas) inteira(s), por favor – One (two) full-price ticket(s), please.

Uma (duas) meia(s), por favor – One (two) half-priced ticket(s), please. (For students and those over 60, though there’s no guarantee foreign proof of age or student status will be accepted.) arquibancada – grandstand (the cheapest seats, open seating)