Signs that the 2014 version of the FIFA Fan Fest™ would continue in the same successful vein as the previous two editions in Germany and South Africa, came even before the first whistle blew in Brazil.

The special kick-off event on Iracema Beach in Fortaleza was packed to capacity in anticipation of what was to come. Fans danced the night away to top-class musical acts and cheered into the night sky when official FIFA Fan Fest™ Ambassador Ronaldo made a special appearance.

Record crowds for the Group Stage games saw aggregate attendances surge to more than a million. By the time Brazil’s nail-biting round of 16 victory over Chile brought the Host Country to a virtual standstill, more than 3 million people had experienced the FIFA World Cup™ at a FIFA Fan Fest™ location.

Even after the trauma of the national team’s heavy defeat at the hands of subsequent winners Germany, fans dusted themselves off and returned to the FIFA Fan Fest™ in huge numbers. They joined with fans from around the world to celebrate the third-place playoff match and even a final featuring their fierce rivals Argentina.

In doing so, fans drove attendances through the five million mark and each one of them became a part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ success story.

Certain images from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ will linger long in the collective memory of the event. Indeed, some have already become synonymous with the tournament’s folk history.

In particular, the aerial shots of the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro captured perfectly the sheer scale of the FIFA Fan Fest™ popularity, with barely a grain of sand visible from the pictures.

The 12 simultaneous venues offering up 14 hours of programming per day for an entire month, including live music performances by some of the best known names anywhere, made the FIFA Fan Fest™ one of the largest live events anywhere in the world in its own right.

The sights and sounds of the FIFA Fan Fest™ rapidly became an integral part of the tournament’s narrative.

City: Belo Horizonte Venue: Expominas (convention centre) Capacity: 21,000

City: Brasilia Venue: Taguaparque Capacity: 50,000

City: Cuiabá Venue: Exhibition Park Capacity: 43,000

City: Curitiba Venue: Pedreira Paulo Leminski Capacity: 15,000

City: Fortaleza Venue: Iracema Beach Capacity: 50,000

City: Manaus Venue: Ponta Negra Capacity: 18,000

City: Natal Venue: Praia do Forte Capacity: 20,000

City: Porto Alegre Venue: Sunset Amphitheater Capacity: 20,000

City: Recife Venue: Cais da Alfandega Capacity: 2,500

City: Rio de Janeiro Venue: Copacabana Beach Capacity: 20,000

City: Salvador Venue: Farol da Barra Capacity: 20,000

City: São Paulo Venue: Anhangabau Valley Capacity: 30,000