Estadio CONMEBOL – design description

How did the Estadio CONMEBOL project come about?

In 2017, Uruguay and Argentina officially announced their intention to bid to host the 2030 World Cup, with Paraguay also joining the initiative in the same year and Chile in 2019. The special occasion for hosting the 2030 World Cup in South America was to be the 100th anniversary of the first tournament, which was held in Uruguay.

On March 31, 2023, at the 76th CONMEBOL congress, the 18 stadiums where the event was intended to be held were presented. The list included five venues from Paraguay, of which four already existed: Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Estadio General Pablo Rojas, Estadio Antonio Aranda and Estadio Villa Alegre.

The fifth stadium was to be a completely new facility, whose first renderings were presented at this very congress, during the presentation of a video of the proposed stadiums. The project was named Estadio CONMEBOL, and the first details of the new stadium were revealed by CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez.

What role will Estadio CONMEBOL play during the 2030 World Cup?

On October 11, 2023, FIFA officially announced the hosts of the 2030 World Cup. The tournament will mainly take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco (at the end of the selection process, this was the only counter-candidate of South American countries), but in view of the 100th anniversary, a gesture was also made towards Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, which will each host one game at the start of the World Cup.

News of this arrangement had already emerged a few days before the official announcement, and it was already known that the stadium from Paraguay that would host the World Cup match would be the new Estadio CONMEBOL. It is very possible that the existence of this project, as well as the influence of Paraguayan Alejandro Domínguez, president of CONMEBOL, determined the inclusion of Paraguay as co-host at all.

What will Estadio CONMEBOL be like?

The project is an initiative of the South American football confederation (CONMEBOL), which has its headquarters in Paraguay, in the city of Luque which is part of the Asunción metropolitan area (right next to the international airport). According to initial reports, the new stadium was to have a capacity of 45,000 spectators, and 60,000 spectators if the organisation of the World Cup is awarded, later reports claim a capacity of 50,000 spectators.

The facility is to be used by the confederation for international events, possibly even for the Copa Libertadores or Copa Sudamericana finals. It is also to be open for local competitions on a daily basis. The stadium is to be built in Asunción or its suburbs, possibly right next to the CONMEBOL headquarters itself (the confederation purchased the adjacent Estadio General Adrián Jara in August 2022).

The new stadium is expected to comply with the highest global standards, use the latest technology, and pursue ideas of sustainability, becoming an 'icon of South American football'. The facility will have a football-specific profile. Preliminary renderings show, among other things, covered stands divided into two tiers and an impressive façade. In the surroundings of the stadium, there will be green areas as well as bars and shops.

The facility will be built in cooperation between CONMEBOL and the Paraguayan government, although the confederation will take on a significant part of the cost. According to very preliminary estimates, the construction of the stadium is expected to cost between $100m and $250m.