Estadio Centenario - Peñarol Stadium Guide

Estadio Centenario is a multi-purpose football stadium which dates back to the early 20th century, with the first iteration opening in 1930 with the construction period taking just eight months. Costing an at the time remarkable $ 1,000,000 dollars, the stadium designed by architect Juan Antonio Scasso was created in time for the Uruguayan hosted 1930 World Cup.

Coinciding with the Centennial of the country’s first constitution, hence the name, Estadio Centenario’s record attendance was set during the tournament which saw Uruguay defeat Argentina in the final to be crowned World Champions. The stadium official capacity was listed as 90,000 upon opening but reports suggest that approximately 93,000 saw the semi-final match between Uruguay and Yugoslavia.

The basic structure of the stadium which consists of four grandstands divided into four distinct sections has changed very little since opening, with the stadium regarded as one of the iconic venues of football. In 1983 FIFA declared Centenario as a “Historical Monument of World Football”, elevating the ground to the same pedestal as Brazil’s Maracanã, England’s Wembley and Mexico’s Estadio Azteca.

Owned and operated by the Municipality of Montevideo in conjunction with the Uruguayan Football Association, any team across the country can rent Centenario for matches. Club Atlético Peñarol are currently using it as a short-term solution whilst they construct their own stadium whilst Club Nacional de Football on the other hand only rent it for the big occasions such as South American matches.