The Estádio Governador João Castelo, universally known as the Castelão, is the main football stadium of São Luís and one of the larger stadiums in northeastern Brazil, with capacity for around 40,000 spectators. It is home to the city's two main clubs, Sampaio Corrêa and Maranhão AC, and watching a match here is a legitimate way to experience the city's sporting culture.
Brazilian football at this level — the lower divisions of the national championship, supplemented by the state championship — has an intensity and a warmth that big-league matches sometimes lack. Tickets are inexpensive and available at the stadium. The atmosphere on derby days, when Sampaio and Maranhão meet, is genuinely electric.