Many years of planning, many months of construction and finally, after all the efforts to fulfil the dream of a new stadium in Belo Horizonte, MRV Arena will officially open. What does the stadium offer and what work was done during its construction?

Arena MRV's grand opening

On April 15, Arena MRV will host five events under the banner of the BH Festival. The celebration includes the installation of the goalposts, the marking of the field lines and the first official shot on goal. On March 25, when the club's 115th anniversary was celebrated, a separate event was held at Arena MRV, but it was limited to directors, management and staff.

Atlético had planned the official opening to the public for March, but decided to postpone the event until April to guarantee the best possible experience for spectators, given that work around the stadium was not yet complete at the time. The facility was originally scheduled to be completed last year, but delays in construction work pushed back the deadlines.

© Tyrone FPV

Long-term plans for new stadium in Brazil

Work on the arena, whose modernity is on par with European structures, began three years ago. The project had already been planned since 2016 as the first giant venue since the 2014 World Cup. Atlético Mineiro's brand-new private stadium is located in the western part of Belo Horizonte, in the Califórnia neighborhood. The club acquired the lucrative plot of land from MRV Engenharia, located next to a main avenue and near a ring road connection. It's not an ideal location due to the steep slope, but it's probably the best available.

When the work reached the halfway point, cost estimates indicated that the total expenditure would be around 700 million reals (R$). Nevertheless, Bruno Muzzi, Atlético's CEO, reported less positive news. He mentioned a figure of 950 - that is, how many millions of reals the club paid in total to carry out the construction of the facility.

© Tyrone FPV

What does the Arena MRV look like?

Inspired by the club's black and white colors, the new facility is the first stadium designed by Bernardo Farkasvölgyi, a local architect who is an ardent Galo supporter. He visited numerous stadiums in Brazil and Europe before designing. Quite apparent during the development of the concept was his favor toward the Allianz Arena, but the new stadium in Belo Horizonte is still a visually original structure.

The covering is divided into two types of vertical segments - lighter and darker. They differ in their level of transparency, but regardless of the lighting and whether one is inside or outside the facility, there is always the impression of a mixture of "alvinegro" - the colors of white and black. The building has 11 floors, and the capacity of the stands has changed several times. Initial plans suggested 50,000 or more seats. Later, it was said that the projected capacity of the stadium was 41,800. Eventually, the board of directors determined that the arena would be prepared to accommodate 46,000 people. This ranks the arena among the ten largest stadiums in the country and makes it Brazil's sixth largest private stadium.

For fans, there will be access to the stadium from different levels. On the west side, where there is a large public plaza, access will be from the field level. On the east side, meanwhile, fans will enter the stadium from the middle floor level. The facility and an adjacent building will offer the largest parking lot in Brazil, accommodating 4,600 cars, a club museum and a large store.

© Tyrone FPV