Brazilians Mourn Pelé at the Stadium Where He Got His Start

The coffin with the remains of Brazilian soccer great Pele is carried for his wake on the pitch of the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos, Brazil, on Jan. 2, 2023. Matias Delacroix/AP Photo

SANTOS, Brazil—Thousands of mourners, including high school students and supreme court justices, began filing past the body of Pelé on Monday on the century-old field where he made his hometown team one of Brazil’s best.

The soccer great died on Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was the only player ever to win three World Cups, and he was 82.