Brazil gets ahead of competitors and plans route to the Women's World Cup

Brazil comes out ahead of the main competitors for the title of next year's Women's World Cup by knowing, in advance, the path that lies ahead. This is what coach Arthur Elias said this Thursday (20), after confirming the venues through which the team will pass in the group stage of the World Cup and in the likely knockout stages.

"The definition was important, within what we expected. The logistics are favorable and we will anticipate the planning. Our goal is always to qualify first and, in this case, it is even more important, because it gives us an extra day to prepare for the semi-final and final game", said Arthur, in a statement to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) YouTube channel and the entity's website.

The debut will be on June 24th, at Maracanã, in the opening match of the competition. Five days later, Brazil takes to the field at the Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo. On July 4th, finally, the stage that will receive the Brazilians is Mané Garrincha, in Brasília.

Passing the stage as leader of Group A, the team will have the following sequence in the knockout stages, if they reach the decision: round of 16 at Arena Castelão, in Fortaleza (July 10); quarterfinals at Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte (July 16) and semifinals in São Paulo.

If they advance second, Brazil will play on July 11th at Mineirão (round of 16), 17th in Fortaleza (quarterfinals) and 21st at Maracanã (semifinal). The final will be on July 25th, also in Rio de Janeiro.

The women's team has not played at Maracanã since 2016, when it was defeated by Sweden in the semifinals of the Rio Olympics. The Neo Química Arena, in turn, has hosted seven games for the Brazilians since its opening in 2014, with one defeat and six straight wins - the last of which was in June, 2-1, against the United States. At Mané Garrincha, in turn, Brazil is undefeated: seven wins and two draws.

"I hope that after the World Cup it will be more common for the women's team to play at Maracanã, our most emblematic and world-known stadium. Playing the first game there is an advantage, because as the objective is to reach the final, the more we play at the stadium, the more we test the pitch and the fans", said Arthur, who, from the group stage stages, only worked at the Neo Química Arena, both in front of Brazil and Corinthians, where he was a multiple champion in the sport.

"There, there were only victories, both for the club and the national team. So, for sure, it will be a very special second game, in which we can advance the classification to the round of 16. It is also important to encourage women's football in Brasília, which has had teams and projects in the sport for a while", concluded the coach.