The most high profile of the stadia is the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, which will be the venue of the World Cup Final, nearly 65 years after the original hosted the 1950 World Cup. Maracana is currently the largest football stadium in South America, a title it has held for decades now.

As the 2014 FIFA World Cup is in full effect, the U.S. Green Building Council announced that a number of the arenas hosting matches have been awarded LEED certification.

USGBC has certified Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the Castelao Arena in Fortaleza, LEED Certified, Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, LEED Silver, Arena de Amazonia in Manaus, LEED Silver and Arena Multiuso in Recife, LEED Silver. The Maracana was also awarded LEED Silver certification, with the arena also set to host important events at the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where it will host both the opening and closing ceremonies, two of the most scrutinized components of the event.

Although the construction process and completion of this World Cup's facilities has been plagued by failure to meet construction schedules and open opposition of a large segment of the Brazilian people, authorities are striving to ensure that the event will be a success. Receiving LEED certification for a large part of the arenas is a small success that will help organizers point towards a push for sustainability.

The measures taken include a 67.6 percent reduction in drinkable water consumption and 12.7 percent reduction in annual energy consumption at the Castelao Arena. Arena Fonta Nova uses 20 percent of its building materials made from recycled content, diverted 75 percent of the project's construction waste from the landfill and used 35 percent of necessary power from renewable sources like solar and wind.

Brazil has increased the amount of green-minded real estate development, becoming one of the top five countries worldwide in terms of LEED-certified space. The country's certified projects total about 3 million gross square meters, placing it around fifth place among the 150 countries worldwide that have implemented LEED in their building projects.