Based on an extensive literature review, this article identifies the attributes that define the pedestrians quality of service, and based on interviews conducted with spectators at the three matches of the FIFA Confederations Cup that were played in June 2013 at Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, characterizes and identifies the most important attributes associated with the choice of travel on foot. These results contribute to the understanding of pedestrian behaviour at major sporting events -with the World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Games 2016 already in mind. The attributes that best define the pedestrian quality of service are accessibility, comfort, reliability, convenience, security, safety and sociability. In the case of Maracanã, the aspects most emphasized by the respondents interviewed were related to accessibility: rapidity, proximity and ease. However, we found that the perceived walking times -for all of the interviewed people -were shorter than the actual trip times. The stadium's location and the characteristics of the social and built environments are conditions that favour travel on foot and perceived proximity. These factors can be enhanced by good transportation and urban planning policies. However, pedestrians that make trips longer than 30 minutes are attracted to the use of motorized modes, unless certain restrictions to these modes are present.