Manaus (Brazil), March 10 (IANS): The Arena da Amazonia here became the ninth FIFA World Cup stadium to officially open.
The venue staged a clash Sunday between Nacional and Remo for a place in the Copa Verde semifinal, a competition featuring teams from Brazil's Amazon region. Only 20,000 tickets were made available for the match, 7,000 of which were given to stadium workers and their families, reports Xinhua.
The venue's four-year, $285 million development was marred by the deaths of three construction workers.
Boasting a capacity of 45,000, the stadium will host four World Cup matches including the Group D clash between England and Italy June 14.
Currently, three other World Cup stadiums remain unfinished -- Sao Paulo's Itaquerao, Cuiaba's Arena Pantanal and Curitiba's Arena da Baixada.