The name is a homage to the football legend Mané Garrincha (1933–1983), who won the 1958 and 1962 World Cup with the Brazil national team.

On March 2, 1996, it hosted the last concert of the legendary Brazilian band Mamonas Assassinas, after that the group suffered an airplane accident which left no survivors.

[6][needs update] On December 8, 2007, the final of the first edition of the Copa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino, won by Mato Grosso do Sul/Saad, was hosted at Estádio Mané Garrincha.

The stadium was renamed in early 2010 to the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha[8] and the construction began in April of the same year.

The Government of the Federal District (GDF) has proposed several works of improvement for the Central Zone of Brasília after the reconstruction of the stadium, the additional cost of R$360 million, with completion scheduled for 2015, including:[59] Between the interventions planned in the Central Area of Brasília, near the National Stadium Mane Garrincha, is the implementation of the Urban Project of Roberto Burle Marx, which provides for an improvement in landscaping between the Road Pilot Plan, and the Brasília TV Tower through the construction of water mirrors, bike paths, sidewalks, gardens and benches.