Arena da Amazonia - an artist's impression of what the stadium in Manaus will look like once complete.
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(CNN) -- A few kilometers from the city center of Manaus, Brazil, is a natural phenomenon called "the meeting of the waters."
Here, the Rio Negro and Amazon rivers join, but don't mix -- light and dark waters, flowing side by side for 8-10 kilometers, due to different water temperatures, speed and acid levels.
Eventually, the two rivers become one, and the mighty Amazon continues its journey through northern Brazil.
It is just one of the countless features that makes Manaus such a unique city.
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With the Amazon rainforest as its backyard, FIFA and city officials hope it will also be enough to draw in fans from around the world as one of Brazil's 12 host cities for the 2014 World Cup.
The city of two million people rises from the rainforest, isolated from much of the rest of Brazil's population. Traffic jams clog the streets. Fishing boats dot the river. Ports swarm with activity during the day, and overnight.
In the middle of it all, a stadium is being built from the ashes of one that stood before it. In this spot, the Arena da Amazonia is being constructed to welcome the world next summer.
The renderings of what the completed stadium will look like can be seen all over the city, from the sides of city buses to billboards above the busy streets.
But in reality, there is still much to be done. In June, it was a still a concrete shell, with no seats, no roof, no grass.
To complicate matters, having the rainforest as a backdrop is both a blessing and a curse. Instead of having a full year to prepare, Manaus has just a few months remaining until the intense rainy season hits in December.
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If the stadium is not ready by then, construction will become that much more difficult.
Miguel Capobiango Neto is the city liaison's officer to FIFA, overseeing World Cup preparations for the city, and that includes the Arena da Amazonia.
In June, he estimated the stadium was about 65 percent complete, and on track to finish in December.
Sustainability
The construction of the stadium is as unique as the city that's building it.
To save time, parts of the stadium -- such as the roof, for example -- are being built in other locations like Portugal, Germany and southern Brazil. The pieces are then assembled in Manaus, creating another challenge.
"These logistics give us a big headache," Neto said. "We need very good planning to have everything here at the right time."
Meant to look like a basket made by indigenous tribes in the rainforest, eco-friendly elements have gone into its construction, so ample rainwater will water the pitch, while sunlight and wind will be harnessed for power.
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"When we thought about making this arena, we thought about sustainability," Neto said.
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"Everybody here in the Amazon region worries about the environment, so we tried to follow that way of thinking...like saving the rain water, using sunlight, and using the wind."
When it is complete, the stadium will hold 44,000 people, and cost an estimated $550 million Brazilian reais, or about $225 million -- if it is completed on time, and on budget.
During the recent Confederations Cup, protests erupted over whether the money being spent on the World Cup might be better invested elsewhere and in Manaus the big question remains -- what will happen when the World Cup is over?
Manaus' local football teams don't draw in a big crowd. So the city has plans to use the stadium for other events, like concerts, conferences, and even UFC fights -- with jujitsu as perhaps the area's most popular sport.
City organizers are focused on the bigger picture, knowing the World Cup can bring more than just a new stadium.
They hope it will leave a lasting legacy of infrastructure improvements the city so desperately needs -- like more reliable electricity, internet, and transportation upgrades.
Long after the final whistle blows next summer, and a champion is crowned, that will be the true legacy of Manaus as a World Cup host city.
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Construction continues at the Arena da Amazonia in June 2013.
The exterior of the stadium that will host games for the 2014 World Cup.
Miguel Capobiango Neto, the man who is overseeing the World Cup preparations for the city of Manaus.
Manaus sits on the banks of the Rio Negro river, an important source of food and transportation.
A busy fish market in Manaus, a city that consumes more fish per person per year than the entire rest of Brazil, and includes fish from the Rio Negro and Amazon Rivers not found in any other part of the world.
The port outside the fish market. Ships come from surrounding river regions at all hours of the day and night, offloading tons of fish for sale.
Indigenous tribes still dot the Amazon rainforest surrounding the city of Manaus.
A hut belonging to indigenous tribe along the Rio Negro river.
Manaus' famous opera house, built in the late 1800s, stands out in the city skyline.
Ask many Brazilians who is the greatest footballer of all time and their answer will be simple: "Pele." The striker won three World Cups with Brazil between 1958 and 1970 and is his country's leading goalscorer with 77 goals from 92 caps.
After a Pele-inspired triumph in 1970, Brazil would wait 24 years before lifting the World Cup again. Although the 1980s was a barren decade in terms of trophies for Brazil, the team which the South Americans sent to the 1982 World Cup is heralded as one of the most entertaining in history. Central to its free-flowing, attacking style was Zico, a midfielder of considerable craft and guile who collected 72 caps between 1976 and 1988.
When Brazil finally won the World Cup for a fourth time in 1994 in the U.S., the team was derided by some for being too functional. In a team short of star quality, striker Romario was the shining light, scoring five goals as Brazil lifted the trophy thanks to a penalty-shootout victory over Italy.
Ronaldo watched on as Romario fired Brazil to victory in 1994, four years later he was the star man at France 1998. Brazil lost the final 3-0 to the hosts, with mystery surrounding their starting 11 as Ronaldo was left out of, then reinstated to, the team for the deciding match at the Stade de France. Ronaldo's redemption arrived in 2002, when he scored both goals as Brazil beat Germany 2-0 to lift the World Cup for a fifth time.
While Ronaldo was the star man in Japan and South Korea, he was ably supported by flamboyant playmaker Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho's performance in the World Cup earned him a move to Barcelona in 2003, where he went on to win the European Champions League in 2006. He was twice named FIFA World Player of the Year.
The latest Brazilian tipped for stardom is Neymar, who recently followed in Ronaldinho's footsteps by joining Barcelona. All eyes will be on the forward when Brazil host the World Cup in 2014. Neymar has made a good start to Brazil's Confederations Cup campaign, scoring two goals in two matches.
But the build up to the final was marred by clashes between protesters and police in the streets near the Maracana.
The match itself was fully committed, with players from both sides desperate to finish the tournament in style.
The mood on the streets of Rio de Janeiro remained hostile as Brazil and Spain took to the pitch.
Many people in the streets near the stadium were affected by the effects of tear gas.
But inside the stadium, Brazilian fans attempted to put the country's problems aside for 90 minutes.
In the end, two goals from Fred (pictured) and Neymar gave Brazil an emphatic win over the World and European champions.
Brazil players Dante, left, and Dani Alves, in a wig, celebrate with their winner's medals.
Spain's Xavi and Cesar Azpilicueta of Spain appear dejected in defeat.
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