In 2014, Curitiba will host for the second time the matches of the World Cup. In the first time, in 1950, the city hosted the matches for two reasons: it was a capital with an adequate infrastructure for the greatness of the event and it had had the Durival Britto stadium since 1947, which belonged to the Federal Railway Net. The stadium ranked number three in Brazil, only falling to Pacaembu, Sao Paulo, and to São Januário, Rio de Janeiro.

Journalist and writer Roberto Mugiatti remembered the opening of the stadium in an article published on Gazeta do Povo ”, 20 May 2010, pointing that it was baptised the manager of the Motorway Net Paraná-Santa Catarina: Designed by architect Rubens Meister, the stadium was inaugurated on 23 January 1947 at a match where the excellence of the system of reflectors was confirmed, even though the excellence of the home team was not as they were beaten 5x1 by Fluminense (with a start-up goal by Careca).

The criteria used to choose the Curitiba as a host city of the 2014 resemble those of 1950. Today, 63 years after, Curitiba has an infrastructure, which stands out due to its urban planning both in Brazil and in the World. The city also has the Arena da Baixada, the stadium of Atlético Paranaense Club, which will be the most modern in Brazil with its retractable roof.

The Post-World War Cup

The choice – to accept Brazil’s bidding to host the fourth World Cup - was relatively easy. The 1942 and 1946 World Cups had been cancelled due to the World War II (1939-1945). The war razed the European economy and divided the world into two blocks: the socialist and the capitalist. 1950 was the prelude to the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union, both equally equipped with nuclear armament.

Brazil did really well at the 3rd World Cup in France. It ranked number three and Leônidas da Silva, the “Black Diamond”, left the worlds nominated as the top scorer. In the local scene, Clube Atlético Paranaense’s goalkeeper Alfredo Gottardi was summoned to fight for the South-American Championship in Montevideo in 1942, playing together with other footballers such as Domingos da Guia, Zizinho, Tim, among other great names of that time. Caju played at the five matches of the championship and never forgot a phenomenal event: Argentinean goalkeeper Vaca crossed the whole pitch to congratulate him after an exceptional defence. Due to his performance at this tournament, Caju was nominated the best South-American goalkeeper.

All these facts helped football become popular. The press and politicians worked together to make the country host the 4th World Cup in 1950. President Eurico Gaspar Dutra, who had gone into power in 1946, had closed the casinos and was replaced by Getúlio Vargas.

13 teams took part in that World Cup. From Europe: Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Yugoslavia and, for the first time, England; and from the Americas: Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, USA and Mexico.

Germany, being the greatest loser of World War II and stigmatised by the Nazism was kept away from the games, although a few countries backed it; the Brazilian Confederation of Sports (BCS) invited Portugal and France, but they did not come. France thought everything to far and tiring, both the boat trip to Brazil and the trips between the host cities in Brazil, which summed more than 3,000 kilometres. As a protest, Argentina did not come either, because they lost to Brazil the chance of hosting the games. Scotland, Turkey and India also decided not to come. The highlight of that World Cup was the participation of England, who had, until then, solemnly disdained the tournament.

The BCS chose the other host cities by using the same criteria it had used to choose Curitiba. Besides the Parana capital, it chose the capital of the nation Rio de Janeiro (still 10 years prior to the construction of Brasilia), Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte and Recife.