| Estadio Alberto José Armando | |
La Bombonera (The Chocolate Box) | |
 | |
 View of the stadium in 2025 | |
 Interactive map of Alberto José Armando Stadium | |
| Full name | Estadio Alberto José Armando[1] |
|---|---|
| Former names | Estadio de Boca Juniors (1940–1986) Estadio Camilo Cichero (1986–2000) |
| Location | Brandsen 805 CP 1161,La Boca,Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Coordinates | 34°38′8.34″S58°21′52.74″W / 34.6356500°S 58.3646500°W /-34.6356500; -58.3646500 |
| Owner | CA Boca Juniors |
| Capacity | 58,305[2] |
| Record attendance | 57,395[3] |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 18 February 1938 |
| Built | 1938–40 |
| Opened | 25 May 1940; 85 years ago (1940-05-25) |
| Renovated | 1995–96 |
| Architect | José Luis Delpini,Viktor Sulčič, Raúl Bes |
| Tenants | |
| |
| Website | |
| bocajuniors.com.ar/labombonera | |
La Bombonera (Spanish pronunciation:[laβomboˈneɾa];lit. 'The Chocolate Box', named after its resemblance to a chocolate box, perViktor Sulčič),[4] officially known asEstadio Alberto José Armando (Spanish pronunciation:[esˈtaðjoalˈβeɾtoxoˈseaɾˈmando];lit. 'Alberto José Armando Stadium', named afterAlberto Armando), is anassociation football stadium located inBuenos Aires,Argentina.[5][6][7][8] Located in theLa Boca neighbourhood, it is the home ofBoca Juniors.[9]
The stadium is widely regarded as one of the most iconic stadiums in the world due to its design, the club's history, intense atmosphere and has been host to many noteworthy players in football, such asDiego Maradona,Lionel Messi,Alfredo Di Stéfano,Pelé and more.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][excessive citations] It has been declared of public interest by the government of Buenos Aires, the autonomous capital city.[20] The stadium is also used as a concert venue. Past performers atLa Bombonera have includedLenny Kravitz,Elton John,James Blunt, theBee Gees, and theBackstreet Boys.
The unusual shape of the stadium has led to it having excellent acoustics and the Boca support being nicknamedLa Doce.[6]
In 1921, following several years of financial difficulties and lack of funds, Boca Juniors put out a fundraising drive to raise money for their next stadium. The drive was successful, with Boca raising enough money to initially rent, then buy, a new stadium. The land they chose, which would becomeLa Bombonera, was owned by Ferro Carril del Sud, which was originally used as a shunting yard, giving them a home for the foreseeable future. The land was also close to railway lines that led out of the city.[21]
Prior toLa Bombonera, Boca Juniors had used several locations before settling on their current ground on Brandsen. The club's first ground had been located inDársena Sur[22] of the old Buenos Aires port (currentlyPuerto Madero) andIsla Demarchi[23][24] before moving to Brandsen and Del Crucero (currently Del Valle Iberlucea) streets in 1924. The club built a stadium there.[25] This would be their home venue until the construction ofLa Bombonera at the same location.
In1931, Boca Juniors' steering committee (led by president Ruperto Molfino) acquired the lands from the Municipality of Buenos Aires forA$ 2,200,000. Three years later, the club published a call for tenders to build its new stadium.[26] The project was finally granted to the Delpini-Sulcic-Bes architectural office,[27] which would also designAbasto Shopping in the 1990s.
The old stadium (still with wooden grandstands) was used for the last time on April 10, 1938, before being demolished to build the new stadium at the same location. WhileLa Bombonera was under construction, Boca Juniors played their home games at theFerro Carril Oeste stadium.
The stadium finally opened on May 25, 1940, with afriendly match between Boca andSan Lorenzo, which the home side won 2–0 with both goals scored byRicardo Alarcón. Due to the fact that the stadium did not have alighting system, the game only lasted 70' (two halves of 35' each).[28]
The first official game at the new stadium was on June 2,1940, when Boca Juniors beatNewell's Old Boys 2–0. Ricardo Alarcón (who had scored in the opening game v. San Lorenzo) scored the first official goal at the new venue.[29]
After the stadium was inaugurated, the club continued to introduce refurbishments to expand its capacity. As a result, on November 16, 1941, a second tier was opened on the north side of the stadium, near Casa Amarilla train station. The grandstand was named "Natalio Pescia" in honour of one of the key players in Boca Juniors' history.[30] In 1949, the club decided to add a third tier, as well as a lighting system. All of those works were completed in 1953;[31] this third tier gave the stadium its enduring nickname,La Bombonera.[6] Boca Juniors celebrated with a friendly match vs.Yugoslav clubNK Hajduk Split, which ended 1-1.[32]
The stadium was named on April 20, 1986, by team PresidentAntonio Alegre in honor of Camilo Cichero, a former team president under whose tenure work onLa Bombonera began. It was renamed on December 27, 2000, by team PresidentMauricio Macri in honor ofAlberto Armando, team president during its resurgence during the 1960s as well as a former business partner of his fatherFrancisco Macri. The stadium was expanded and modernized during Macri's tenure, notably with the addition in 1996 of a fourth tier; and a wing housing a press area, VIP boxes, a museum, and offices. The stadium's exterior was later decorated with works by paintersRómulo Macció andPérez Celis.[33]
Since then,La Bombonera was not remodeled until 1996 when the presidency ofMauricio Macri decided to expand its capacity to 57,500 spectators. Works included the demolition of the lateral boxes on Del Valle Iberlucea street, replacing them by a small stand and new and modern boxes (with metallic structure) placed over there. The "new" Bombonera was reinaugurated with a friendly match v.Club Universidad de Chile won by Boca Juniors by 3–1.[34]
An electronic screen was installed in 2008,[35] making Boca Juniors' stadium the third venue in Argentina with this technology, after the stadiums of Vélez Sársfield and River Plate. At the beginning of 2012, more than 500 seats were replaced and other 500 were added, part of the building of four additional boxes.
The stadium is notable for the artwork and murals both inside and around the stadium. One of the murals inside the stadium honors the different divisions within the club and many of the clubs legendary players and figures, including Diego Maradona.[36] The mural is made of tile painted blue and yellow and metal busts and sculptures. Several murals outside the stadium depict the lives of residents of La Boca, usually dockworkers, and people wearing Boca Juniors jerseys and apparel.[36]
The stadium is noted for its tendency to shake with heavy fan activity during matches. According to writer Christopher Thomas Gaffney, “La Bombonera does not shake, it beats.”[37] The stadium is also renowned for its location within La Boca, with spectators able to see the dockyards on the Atlantic coast from the highest reaches of the stadium. The stadium is one of many in the city proper of Buenos Aires, with football stadiums far outnumbering other sporting grounds, such as polo grounds and race tracks.[37]
The stadium is popularly known asLa Bombonera. It is said that the nickname came about while architectViktor Sulčič was designing the stadium. On occasion of Sulčič's birthday, a friend gave him a box of chocolates as a gift. After that, Sulčič used to take the box to project meetings with engineer Delpine and other persons that he collaborated with the project to show them that the box shape was very like the stadium they were designing. Since then, the stadium would be known asLa Bombonera ("box of chocolates" inSpanish) and that name has remained to present days. In fact, the opening day (May 25, 1940) the stadium was named that way even by the club executives.[38]
There are other stories or myths about the origin of the nickname. One of them tells that Delpini projected the stands with a highly vertical grade of inclination to host 100,000 persons (which was the first project). The shape of the stands looked like the carts used to collect horses dung in the streets of Buenos Aires. Other version credits journalist Hugo Marini or broadcaster Joaquín Carballo Serantes (aka) "Fioravanti" for theBombonera nickname.[39]
Despite its distinguished nickname, the first official denomination came on April 20, 1986, when it was named "Camilo Cichero" in commemoration of the president under whose tenure the stadium was projected and built.[40] That same day Boca Juniors defeatedTalleres de Córdoba by 4–2. Nevertheless, president Mauricio Macri decided to change the stadium's name to "Alberto J. Armando", honoring long-time president of the club during two periods (1954–55, 1960–80).[41]
La Bombonera currently has a gross capacity of 58,305,[2] which results in around 57,200 seats being available for games,[42]. The club's popularity makes tickets hard to get, especially for theSuperclásicoderby againstRiver Plate.[7]
Out of its capacity of 49,000, there are 37,538 seats, 2,780 in boxes, and 8,682standing.[needs update] Both its interior and exterior are lined with a number ofmurals painted by the artistPérez Celis depicting many of the club's legendary players and aspects of the district's culture, such as the lives of Italian immigrants.[43]
In 1996, a small stand was built on the 4th side, which had been largely open until then, except for some VIP boxes.[44]
Diego Maradona, who played for and supported Boca Juniors, had his own executive box at the stadium.[7]
There are three parking lots at the stadium for members.[45]
Thenational team has played several games in La Bombonera, including qualifying matches to theFIFA World Cup. The squad played the most games since the 1920s to the mid-1970s. Since theEstadio Monumental ofRiver Plate was completely refurbished for the1978 WC, theArgentine Football Association fixtured the majority of Argentina's home games at that venue. That decision was based on theMonumental higher capacity and modern facilities in comparison with La Bombonera.
Playing at Boca Juniors Stadium, Argentina was only defeated in two games, having played a total of 27 matches, winning 18 and losing 2 with 7 ties. The squad scored 67 goals and only conceded 27.[46] Some of the official and friendly games played by Argentina at the stadium (as of 14 November 2024) are listed below:
| Game status | Date | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copa Lipton | 14 Nov 1956 |  Uruguay | 1–1 |
| 1958 FIFA WCQ | 20 Oct 1957 |  Chile | 4–0 |
| 1970 FIFA WCQ | 24 Aug 1969 |  Bolivia | 1–0 |
| 1970 FIFA WCQ | 31 Aug 1969 |  Peru | 2–2 |
| Friendly | 8 Jan 1971 |  France | 3–4 |
| Copa R. Castilla | 27 Jul 1973 | Peru | 3–1 |
| 1974 FIFA WCQ | 9 Sep 1973 | Bolivia | 4–0 |
| 1974 FIFA WCQ | 7 Oct 1973 |  Paraguay | 3–1 |
| Friendly | 27 Feb 1977 |  Hungary | 5–1 |
| Friendly | 29 May 1977 |  Poland | 3–1 |
| Friendly | 5 Jun 1977 |  Germany | 1–3 |
| Friendly | 12 June 1977 |  England | 1–1 |
| Friendly | 18 Jun 1977 |  Scotland | 1–1 |
| Friendly | 26 Jun 1977 | France | 0–0 |
| Copa F. Bogado | 24 Aug 1977 | Paraguay | 2–1 |
| Copa R. Castilla | 19 Mar 1978 | Peru | 2–1 |
| Friendly | 29 Mar 1978 |  Bulgaria | 3–1 |
| Friendly | 5 Apr 1978 |  Romania | 2–0 |
| Friendly | 19 Apr 1978 |  Republic of Ireland | 3–1 |
| Friendly | 3 May 1978 | Uruguay | 3–0 |
| Friendly | 26 Nov 1992 | Poland | 2–0 |
| 1998 FIFA WCQ | 16 Nov 1997 |  Colombia | 1–1 |
| 2012SA | 21 Nov 2012 |  Brazil | 2–1 |
| 2018 FIFA WCQ | 5 Oct 2017 | Peru | 0–0 |
| Friendly | 29 May 2018 |  Haiti | 4–0 |
| 2022 FIFA WCQ | 8 Oct 2020 |  Ecuador | 1–0 |
| 2022 FIFA WCQ | 25 Mar 2022 |  Venezuela | 3–0 |
| 2026 FIFA WCQ | 16 Nov 2023 | Uruguay | 0–2 |
| 2026 FIFA WCQ | 19 Nov 2024 | Peru | 1–0 |
_-_panoramio_(154).jpg)
The Passion of Boca Juniors Museum (Spanish:Museo de la Pasión Boquense) was opened in 2001 during Mauricio Macri's administration.[47][48] It is located within the stadium, just below the grandstands. The museum was built on two floors and chronicles the club's rise from1905 (the year the club was established) to the present day.
One of the exhibits in the museum is a giant football with 360-degree footage of the club's fans and players at a match. The museum also includes aHall of fame and a large mural of Diego Maradona. Also included are non-football items, such as the specially commissioned blue and gold guitar played by Lenny Kravitz when he performed at La Bombonera in 2005.[49][50]
A giant statue of Boca Juniors' all-time top scorer,Martín Palermo, was unveiled in 2011. Other former players who have statues honoring them areDiego Maradona andRomán Riquelme[51] A total of seven Boca Juniors idols have been honored by the club with their respective monuments; they areGuillermo Barros Schelotto,Angel Clemente Rojas,Silvio Marzolini andAntonio Rattín, apart from Maradona, Palermo, and Riquelme.
Carlos Bianchi was the first Boca Juniors manager to be honored with a statue when a monument to his figure was unveiled in October 2016. Bianchi won nine titles during his two tenures at the club (1998–2003), becoming the most winning manager in Boca Juniors' history. Under Bianchi's coaching, the team also set a record of 40 matches unbeaten, the biggest since Argentine football became professional in1931.[52]
There are planned improvements for the stadium, including measures to ease crowd congestion, the use of new technology in the stadium, and improved corporate facilities. These include:[53]
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