For those of you keen on attending a soccer/football (futebol in Portuguese) match while in Brazil, here’s the 2008 League calendar.

I’ve prepared a GoogleMaps mash-up with all the 1st division soccer stadiums in Brazil:

View larger map

A few clarifications:

• the Brazilian league is known as the Brasileirão
• unless there is another ongoing competition (Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana) there is usually a round of games during the week (Wednesdays or Thursdays) and another one during the weekend (Saturdays or Sundays). During the weekend all matches are usually played at the same time, either four o’clock or six o’clock.
• unlike the European national championships, the Brasileirão begins in May and ends in December. Halfway through the season, coinciding with the beginning of the European leagues, there is a real exodus of players, bought by European and Asian clubs. Often the squad that begins the league is quite different from the one that finishes it.
• at local derbys (clásicos) emotions run high. You are advised to be careful, as violent clashes between rival fans are frequent, especially on the way to the stadium. Get away from conflict as fast as you can, the police do not deal with troublemakers on a kind fashion.
• with the exception of the local derbys, in general stadium attendance is poor, nothing to do with what we are used to see in Europe and other American countries.
• in general tickets are much more affordable than in Europe.