Estadio Centenario

History

The construction of the Centenario is one of the most important stages in the development of sports in South America and international football. It was built especially for the 1930 FIFA World Cup, by immigrant workers in a record time of nine months. Its name originates from the 100-year-celebration of the ratification of the first Constitution of Uruguay.

Initially, all World Cup matches were to be played in the Centenario. However, heavy rains in Montevideo delayed construction of the stadium, so that several matches had to be played in the Pocitos Stadium of C.A. Peñarol, and the Parque Central of Club Nacional de Football. It was inaugurated on 18 July 1930, with a match between Uruguay and Peru; the Celeste won 1–0 with a goal by Hector "Manco" Castro.

The final match of the inaugural World Cup matched Uruguay and Argentina, with Uruguay winning 4–2. Since then, the Centenario has been the scene of Copa América (1942, 1956, 1967, 1995), three South American Youth Championships (1979, 2003, 2015), a South American Under-17 Football Championship (1999) and 1980 Mundialito.

In 2021, the Centenario was selected as host of the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana finals. The stadium was renovated to prepare for those matches. The total cost of the works was $6 million and included the renovation of the grandstands, bathrooms, VIP boxes, and press boxes, along with a new illumination system and new pitch.

Tenants

Aside from the Uruguay national team, any football club can rent the stadium for its home matches. Peñarol has done that often, and Nacional rents it for some international matches. Peñarol played all of its home matches at the stadium from 1933 until it moved to Estadio Campeón del Siglo in 2016.

In the case of other Uruguayan teams, they often decide to play there against both Peñarol and Nacional.

Grandstands

The stadium has four grandstands separated by four lanes. The main one is the* Olympic* Tribune (and lower Platea known as Olympic), which is named so because the team had won two Olympic championships in a row (1924 and 1928). This has a maximum capacity of 21,648 spectators located in the three rings and the audience. Then there are the "popular", so called because they are sold cheaper, these are: the Colombes, in honor of the Colombes, France in which the national team became Olympic champions 1924 and Amsterdam, because it was where the Celeste were crowned Olympic champions for the second time in 1928. The Grandstand Colombes accommodates 13,914 spectators while the Amsterdam accommodates 13,923. The America Tribune is parallel to the* Olympic* one. There are also "VIP" boxes and press boxes with room for 1,882 spectators, as well as the platform has room for 2,911 spectators, and additionally the grandstand has room for 5,957 people.

Under the Olympic Grandstand are located primary school "Nº 100 Héctor Fígoli"; and the Museum of Uruguayan Football. Under the Colombes Grandstand is located Police Station Nº9.

Other facilities

Inside the Centenario stadium, there are other facilities such as the "Uruguayan Football Museum" which highlights the sporting achievements of the Uruguayan national team. It is located under the Olympic grandstand of the Centenario stadium and was inaugurated on 15 December 1975. In 2004, it underwent a remodeling, in which a panoramic elevator was added to the Torre de los Homenajes.[[File:Museu do Futebol, Estádio Centenário - Montevidéu - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|300px|Trophies and memorabilia exhibited at the Museum]]The Museum has a large collection of objects that are reminders of the most outstanding moments of Uruguayan and world football. This is administered by the Official Field Administrative Commission (CAFO), which is made up of representatives of the AUF and the Montevideo Municipal Government. On 21 July 1929, the founding stone of the Stadium was laid, which is located under the tower and can also be visited. Estadio Centenario is equipped to accommodate visitors with Disability. The stadium features wheelchair-accessible seating areas, elevators, and ramps. Additionally, dedicated restroom facilities and amenities are available for differently-abled spectators.

There is also a school running under the Olympic grandstand.

Sporting events

1930 FIFA World Cup

Estadio Centenario hosted ten matches of the 1930 FIFA World Cup, including both semi-final matches and the final match. WC1930

Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana Final

It hosted the final of the Copa Sudamericana on 20 November 2021 and the Copa Libertadores on 27 November 2021.

2030 FIFA World Cup

On 4 October 2023, Uruguay was announced as one of six host nations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. To celebrate the centennial of the inaugural World Cup, Estadio Centenario is expected to host the opening match.{{cite web| url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/38564624/argentina-spain-six-countries-host-2030-world-cup/ | title=Argentina, Spain among six countries to host 2030 World Cup

Concerts

The stadium has held numerous concerts by both national and international artists such as:

• Aerosmith
• Amaral
• Árbol
• Arnaldo Antunes
• Attaque 77
• Brian May
• Bryan Adams
• Buitres Después de la Una
• Charly García
• Chayanne
• Enrique Iglesias
• Eric Clapton
• Fito Páez
• Guns N' Roses
• Joaquín Sabina
• Joe Cocker
• Joe Vasconcellos
• Jorge Drexler
• Los Olimareños
• Los Piojos
• Luciano Pavarotti
• Luis Miguel
• Maná
• No Te Va Gustar
• Nortec Collective
• One Direction
• Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota
• Paul McCartney
• Phil Collins
• Plácido Domingo
• ReyToro
• Ricardo Arjona
• Rod Stewart
• Roger Waters
• Roxette
• Rubén Blades
• Sebastian Bach
• Serú Girán
• Shakira
• Soledad Pastorutti
• Soy Luna Live
• Sting
• Sui Generis
• The Rolling Stones
• Tini
• Teen Angels
• The Cult
• Van Halen

References

References

1. [http://www.estadiocentenario.com.uy/site/Facilities INSTALACIONES]
2. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150225150540/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=202/match=1101/index.html 1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay – Matches – Uruguay-Yugoslavia – FIFA.com]
3. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150905202357/http://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/classic-stadiums/stadium=34866/index.html FIFA.com]
4. [http://gigapan.org/gigapans/65433/ Gigapan Estadio Centenario.] {{webarchive. link. (25 November 2010)
5. [http://www.conmebol.com/en/01252015-2205/mythical-centenario-historical-monument-football-welcomes-finals-u-20-sudamericano The mythical Centenario stadium, a "Historical Monument of Football", welcomes the finals of the U-20 Sudamericano Tournament] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-08-19 , 25 January 2015)
6. [http://www.estadiocentenario.com.uy/site/History HISTORIA] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-07-24 {{in lang). es
7. (October 2021)
8. (October 2021)
9. (11 November 2021). "Cuánto costó la remodelación del Estadio Centenario para las finales de la Libertadores y la Sudamericana".
10. (19 November 2021). "Un lujo: conocé cómo quedó por dentro la renovación del Estadio Centenario".
11. [https://int.soccerway.com/teams/uruguay/club-atletico-penarol/matches/ Peñarol – Matches]
12. [https://int.soccerway.com/teams/uruguay/club-nacional-de-football/matches/ Nacional – Matches]
13. "Football Museum". AUF.
14. (2023-08-22). "Estadio Centenario: A Historic Icon in Montevideo, Uruguay". Stadiums World.
15. "Conciertos en Uruguay".