Dispatches From the Amazon: How Manaus Rang in the World Cup

MANAUS, Brazil — The air horns became overbearing about an hour before kickoff. They bleated from the hands of men zipping across town on scooters. They blared from bus stops where women in short shorts and Brazil jerseys tapped their feet. Small children honked them while scurrying around adult legs

The din got louder toward one place: the Praia do Ponta Negra, a beach and park on the banks of the Rio Negro in this humid city in the middle of the Amazon jungle, where massive screens broadcast Brazil vs. Croatia from São Paulo in the opening match of the 2014 World Cup. The masses — decked out in yellow and green jerseys, similarly colored wigs, joker hats and other accessories — streamed toward Ponta Negra by the hundreds as the match's 4 p.m. kickoff approached Read more...