FIFA announced the eight cities that will host matches at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil on Wednesday, primarily selecting sites on the South American country's East Coast over tropical regions that require more extensive travel.

In addition to Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracanã Stadium, the tournament's 64 games will take place across Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and São Paulo.

"The selection of the host cities represents the moment where the dream begins to take shape," said Brazil’s minister of sport André Fufuca. "Each of the selected host cities represents Brazil — a diverse and vibrant Brazil, with people who are passionate about football, and places that already live and breathe the sport and that will now have the opportunity to leave a transformative legacy for their communities and for generations to come."

The 32 teams battling for the 2027 World Cup will begin their hunt on June 24th of that year, with the final taking place on July 25th.

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Marta, Formiga help announce 2027 World Cup cities

To bolster the news, FIFA tapped famous Brazilians for its announcement video, including star futsal player Amandinha and two-time NWSL champion Debinha.

Also helping drop the eight cities were the country’s most iconic women's soccer legends, Marta — the World Cup's all-time leading scorer — and Formiga, the only athlete to compete in seven editions of the tournament.

"I won't be on the pitch in 2027, but I'm always ready to represent Brazilian football – even more so at a special moment like this," said the retired Formiga.

"I know every corner of our country, and I can tell you: Each of these cities is full of women's football talents who need support and inspiration," she continued. "The Women's World Cup will be an opportunity for them to see the greatest up close and think, 'If they can be there, so can I.' That's the impact that only an event of this size can have."

Using the 2027 World Cup — the first ever hosted in South America — to grow the women's game is top-of-mind for former player Mariléia "Michael Jackson" dos Santos, who now serves as the country's director of women's football promotion.

"We want to create a solid network that will last well beyond 2027," said dos Santos. "The idea is to decentralise the impact so that women's football flourishes in every corner of the country."

"It's a unique opportunity to change the game, and we're going to make the most of it because Brazilian women's football deserves it, and so do the girls in our country."

Formiga played in her final international match with the Brazilian national team on Thursday, but only saw the field for a mere 15 minutes.

When asked why she didn’t start the legendary midfielder, national team coach Pia provided the following statement:

“The reason Formiga played 15 minutes is because she is not the future of the national team,” she said. “And we have to build that future. She played and almost scored, it was an incredible 15 minutes.”

The 43-year-old has competed in seven World Cups and seven Olympics, both of which are world records. At the Tokyo Olympics in July, she became the first player to compete in seven Olympic Games, having played in every Olympics since women’s soccer’s debut in 1996.

For her final game, Formiga’s mother, Dona Celeste, flew to see her make her final appearance. Celeste, who is afraid of flying, had reportedly never seen her daughter play in person before.

Legendary Brazilian midfielder Formiga is set to play her final match with the national team this month, the Brazilian national team announced Tuesday.

“The legendary Formiga will say goodbye to the women’s national team,” the confederation said on social media. “It is a historic moment for a life dedicated to the yellow shirt and to soccer. We love you.”

The 43-year-old has competed in seven World Cups and seven Olympics, both of which are world records. Having played in every Olympics since women’s soccer’s debut in 1996, she became the first women’s player to compete in seven Olympic Games during the Tokyo Olympics in July.

The most-capped player in the history of the Brazilian national team, Formiga has played in 233 matches. Having made her debut at 17 years old at the 1995 World Cup, her final game will come in a friendly against India on Nov. 25.

To put it in perspective: Playing football was still illegal for women in Brazil when Formiga was born in 1978.

Throughout her extensive career, the midfielder has won two Olympic silver medals (2004, 2008) and was part of the Brazil team that lost to Germany in the 2007 World Cup final.