Proof That Brazil Is World Cup Soccer's True Home

The 2014 World Cup officially kicks off in Brazil two months from Saturday. Off-the-pitch worries — massive protests and crime chief among them — are well-founded, to be sure. But when it comes to soccer itself and how Brazilians regard the beautiful game, Brazil is the World Cup's one true home

You'll hear this over and over between now and June 12 — but forget all that vague pontification. We have firsthand proof

I had the good fortune of attending a very-big-deal soccer match at the Maracana, Rio de Janeiro's legendary stadium that will host the World Cup final on July 13, at the end of a long backpacking trip through South America in 2008. In 28 years of attending all range of sports events at multiple levels in multiple countries, the Maracana on the night of June 4, 2008, remains the single most insane atmosphere I've ever witnessed. And I use "insane" in the most complimentary way possible Read more...