| Estadio Nacional del Perú | |
 | |
.jpg) Estadio Nacional in 2021 | |
 Interactive map of National Stadium of Perú | |
| Full name | Estadio Nacional del Perú |
|---|---|
| Location | Lima District,Lima,Peru |
| Coordinates | 12°04′02.2″S77°02′01.4″W / 12.067278°S 77.033722°W /-12.067278; -77.033722 |
| Elevation | 135 m (442.91 ft) |
| Public transit |   atEstadio Nacional |
| Owner | Government of Peru |
| Operator | Instituto Peruano del Deporte (Peruvian Institute of Sport) |
| Capacity | 50,086 |
| Field size | 104.9 x 67.86 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1951–1952 |
| Opened | 27 October 1952 |
| Renovated | 1992, 1996, 2004, 2011 |
| Expanded | 2004, 2011 |
| Architect | José Betín Diez Canseco (Renovation) |
| Project manager | Miguel Dasso |
| Tenants | |
| Peru national football team (1952–present) | |
TheNational Stadium of Peru (Spanish:Estadio Nacional del Perú,pronounced[esˈtaðjonasjoˈnaldelpeˈɾu]) is amulti-purpose stadium inLima,Peru. Its current capacity is 50,086 seats as stated by thePeruvian Football Federation without the lodges for some thousands more.[1] The stadium was first inaugurated on 27 October 1952 for the1953 South American Championship—replacing the oldNational Stadium—and is Peru's principal andnational stadium. It has hosted three of the sixSouth American Championship/Copa América football competitions held in Peru. It is referred to as the Coloso de José Díaz because of its proximity to a street of the same name. It is located at analtitude of 135 meters (442.91 ft) above sea level.
The Estadio Nacional is the home ground of thePeru national football team. The IPD (Peruvian Sport Institute)—a branch of theMinistry of Education—is the stadium's administrating entity. The stadium has undergone several renovations for tournaments such as the2004 Copa América. The artificial turf was installed for the2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship. The most recent renovation started in 2010 and concluded in 2011. The re-inauguration ceremony of the renovated stadium was held on 24 July 2011 with a match between thePeru national under-20 football team and theSpain national under-20 football team.
Peru obtained its first football-based field in the late 19th century, when the club Unión Cricket asked the Municipality of Lima for an appropriate piece of land where they could play football. The municipality gave them a small piece of land in theSanta Beatriz neighbourhood which belonged to ashooting club. On July 18, 1897, the field was officially inaugurated and named Estadio Guadalupe. The Liga Peruana de Futbol (known as theFPF today) used it for the first tournaments in Lima.
In 1921, the English residents of Peru that owned the stadium renovated and renamed the stadium from Estadio Guadalupe toStadium Nacional and donated it to the Peruvian government. It had small wooden stands that were later donated to theEstadio Teodoro Lolo Fernandez when it was demolished to make way for the new stadium which would host the1953 South American Championship. In the 1950s, Miguel Dasso and the Peruvian PresidentGeneral Manuel A. Odria funded the project for the construction of the new stadium. The new stadium was planned to have a capacity of 53,000 and have it entirely made out of cement. The northern and southern stands would have a capacity of 15,000 each while the eastern and western stands would have three levels. On 27 October 1952, the new Estadio Nacional was inaugurated with many comfortable features such as luxury boxes and elevators in one of the stands. The inauguration ceremony started early at 10:00 AM and lasted through the night. The ceremony included an award ceremony for many outstanding athletes includingTeodoro Fernández,Alejandro Villanueva,Jorge Alcalde,Olympic gold medalistEdwin Vásquez andPan American gold medalists Julia Sánchez and Gerardo Salazar. The inaugurating football match was played between players of thePeru national football team that formed two teams that played in the evening under the new illumination system.[2]
On 24 May 1964, Peru hosted Argentina in the Estadio Nacional before a crowd of 47,157 for a qualifying match pertaining to the1964 Olympic Games that were to be hosted in Tokyo. Argentina led the match 1–0 during the second half and in the final minutes Peru equalized; however the Uruguayan referee Ángel Eduardo Pazos disallowed the goal. The spectators were infuriated by the decision and this led to a pitch invasion. The police used tear gas and brutal force to quell the disturbances. The stadium's exits were closed which trapped the spectators inside the stadium. The players and referees had to be escorted off the field by the police. A riot ensued outside the stadium and led the PresidentFernando Belaúnde Terry to declare astate of emergency which would last for a month. More than 300 people were killed and at least 4,000 were injured.[3][4]
TheStadium Nacional was the sole venue for theSouth American Championship 1927,1935, and1939. The present Estadio Nacional hosted the1953 South American Championship and1957 South American Championship. In 1971, the playoff match for the1971 Copa Libertadores Finals was played in Peru and featured UruguayanNacional and ArgentineEstudiantes de La Plata. Nacional won by 2–0. The following year,Universitario de Deportes reached the final of the1972 Copa Libertadores and hosted the first-leg of the finals. Two decades later,Sporting Cristal reached the1997 Copa Libertadores Finals which allowed the Nacional to host one of the legs of the final for a third time. In 1992, modern lighting was installed in the stadium and in 1996, an electronic scoreboard was installed to replace the old manual one. The stadium's symbolic element is the tower situated in the northern stand. This tower was abandoned for many years until in 2004, it was used again for theCopa America. Popular international football teams and renowned players have played in the stadium, includingSpain'sReal Madrid, as well as players likePelé andMaradona in previous years.
Thanks to a five million dollar government investment program to remodel older Peruvian stadiums, spectators were able to enjoy games with the high standards required byCONMEBOL for the2004 Copa América. This was also the first time the Estadio Nacional was not the sole venue for the South American competition. In return the country received throngs oftourists, international media coverage, and more locals buying tickets to attend the games. Peru's biggest stadium,Estadio Monumental, is also located inLima with a capacity of 80,093 and belongs to local clubUniversitario de Deportes although it was not used for the Copa América 2004.
Peru also hosted the2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship. This stadium hosted several games including the final.Artificial turf was installed for this competition into all the venues used. The artificial turf still remains in the Estadio Nacional but has received heavy criticism from clubs of thePeruvian First Division, asking to remove it because of the constant injuries it causes.[5] This is also the reason why thePeru national football team did not play its games in the Estadio Nacional for the2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The artificial turf was removed following the 2010 renovations.
In 2008, the athletics track was temporarily covered with asphalt for therally race Caminos del Inca. This was the first time the Estadio Nacional hosted such an event. Shortly after, the 6-lane Olympic running track was restored.
The stadium underwent major renovations in 2010 in a bid to the2015 Pan American Games which included the construction of 371luxury boxes, 703 underground parking spaces, a new tower with a panoramic gourmet restaurant among other improvements. The renovations concluded in 2011. However, Toronto won the bidding process. The renovated stadium was inaugurated on 24 July 2011 with an U-20 match betweenPeru andSpain. The match was a 0–0 draw. Two months later on 5 September 2011, the senior national team played its first match in the renovated stadium againstBolivia. The match ended in a 2–2 draw with goals byRinaldo Cruzado andClaudio Pizarro. It was used for the opening and closing ceremonies for the2019 Pan American Games and the2019 Parapan American Games. It will host thePan American Games again in 2027, which will be hosted by Lima.
In addition to football, the Estadio Nacional is home to other sports. Sixteen Peruvian sporting federations are headquartered at the national stadium. These include theBoxing,Karate,Bodybuilding,Kung Fu,Taekwondo andVolleyball federations. They were temporarily relocated for the renovations of the stadium.
| Date | Time | Team #1 | Score | Team #2 | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 July 2004 | 17:30 | Venezuela  | 0–1 |  Colombia | Group A |
| 20:15 | Peru  | 2–2 |  Bolivia | ||
| 9 July 2004 | 17:30 | Colombia | 1–0 | Bolivia | |
| 19:45 | Peru | 3–1 | Venezuela | ||
| 20 July 2004 | 19:45 | Argentina  | 3–0 | Colombia | Semi-finals |
| 21 July 2004 | 19:45 | Uruguay  | 1–1 (3–5p) |  Brazil | |
| 25 July 2004 | 15:00 | Argentina | 2–2 (2–4p) | Final |
| Date | Time | Team #1 | Score | Team #2 | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 September 2005 | 14:15 | Uruguay | 0–2 |  Mexico | Group B |
| 17:00 | Turkey  | 1–0 |  Australia | ||
| 19 September 2005 | 15:30 | Mexico | 3–0 | Australia | |
| 18:15 | Uruguay | 2–3 | Turkey | ||
| 23 September 2005 | 15:30 | United States  | 1–1 |  Ivory Coast | Group C |
| 18:15 | Gambia  | 0–2 |  Netherlands | Group D | |
| 2 October 2005 | 15:00 | Netherlands | 2–0 | Turkey | Third place play-off |
| 18:00 | Mexico | 3–0 | Brazil | Final |
The stadium is also used for other kind of activities such as concerts including:
Media related toEstadio Nacional del Perú at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by | South American Championship Final venue 1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | South American Championship Final venue 1957 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Copa América Final venue 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIFA U-17 World Championship Final venue 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Pan American Games Opening and closing ceremonies 2019 | Succeeded by |
12°04′02.2″S77°02′01.4″W / 12.067278°S 77.033722°W /-12.067278; -77.033722
