A stadium that complies with the highest global standards, uses the latest technology and is becoming an icon of South American football - why Asunción? This venue from the future will host one of the opening matches of the 100th World Cup in history.

The role of Paraguay's stadium at 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-offer from South American countries. However, in connection with the 100th anniversary, a gesture was made towards Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, where one game each will be held at the start of the championship.

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. Indeed, the country does not have such a state-of-the-art facility to be chosen as a tournament arena.

© CONMEBOL

What might the Estadio CONMEBOL look like?

The design is an initiative of the South American football confederation (CONMEBOL), which is based in Paraguay, in the city of Luque which is part of the Asunción metropolitan area. According to initial reports, the new stadium was expected to have a capacity of 45,000 people, and 60,000 if the World Cup was awarded. The final version has a capacity of 50 000 spectators.

The facility is to be used by the confederation to host international events, possibly even the Copa Libertadores or Copa Sudamericana finals. It is also to be open for local games on a daily basis. The stadium is to be built in Asunción or its suburbs - possibly right next to the CONMEBOL headquarters itself. In August 2022, the confederation purchased the Estadio General Adrián Jara next door, which may be linked to plans to build a new stadium there.

The facility will have a typical football profile. Preliminary visualisations show, among other things, covered, split-level stands and a striking façade. Surrounding the arena will be green areas, as well as bars and shops. The stadium will be built in collaboration between CONMEBOL and the Paraguayan government, although the confederation will take on a significant portion of the cost. According to very preliminary estimates, the construction of the arena is expected to cost between $100 million and $250 million. To find out how the venue project came about, visit Estadio CONMEBOL design page.

Estadio CONMEBOL generated by artificial inteligence