São Paulo, one of Latin America's capitals and the most important economic centre in Brazil, will host the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group A next month. From 23-27 July, world No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 9 Czechia, No. 13 Great Britain, No. 22 Brazil, and No. 33s New Zealand and Colombia will visit Sao Paulo, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Americas. This will be the first time Brazil hosts a WBSC World Cup.
With 12.5 million inhabitants and 21.6 million in the wider urban area, São Paulo is the most populous city in the world outside of Asia and the fourth largest city on the planet, only behind Tokyo (JPN), Delhi (IND) and Shanghai (CHN). The city is home to the largest Italian, Portuguese, Arab and Japanese diasporas in the country.
São Paulo, which has the same name as the state, has countless movie theatres, cultural centres, museums, historic buildings, parks, theatres, and art galleries. A mandatory stop is the São Paulo Art Museum (MASP), currently the most important art museum in the Southern Hemisphere which was added to the National Heritage List by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN).
The city, named to honour Paul the Apostle, also offers a variety of green spaces, especially the Ibirapuera Park, which include bike paths, a playground, areas for walking and jogging, museums, auditoriums, and a planetarium, as well as leisure and sports areas.
São Paulo has a rich sports culture, hosting some of the most important events in the world, such as the 1950 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, the IV Pan American Games in 1963 or the Formula 1 Grand Prix hosted every year at Interlagos. The city is also home of some of the most important soccer teams in the country, including Corinthians, Palmeiras and São Paulo.
Photo: Visit Brasil
