Estadio Centenario – design description

How did plans to modernize Estadio Centenario come about?

Since the early 2000s, there has been talk of Uruguay's intentions to host the 2030 World Cup, on the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup, which also took place in this country. In 2017, the joint candidacy of Uruguay and Argentina to host the tournament was announced. A little later, Paraguay and Chile also joined the bid.

The most important venue for the Uruguayan part of the candidacy was to be the legendary Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, where most of the 1930 World Cup matches were played, including the grand final. The facility was built just for the 1930 championship, but in order for it to host the 2030 World Cup games, it should first undergo a major upgrade.

When was the vision for the modernization of Estadio Centenario presented?

On August 17, 2023, a conference was held with the Uruguayan Secretary of Sports (Sebastián Bauzá), the president of the Uruguayan Football Federation (Ignacio Alonso) and the president of CONMEBOL (Alejandro Domínguez), during which the first renderings of Estadio Centenario modernization, prepared by Gómez Platero Arquitectura & Urbanismo in cooperation with the construction company Saceem, were presented.

What were the objectives of Estadio Centenario modernization project?

The project to modernize Estadio Centenario involved preserving its original character, although it also proposed some significant changes. The pitch was to be lowered and the lower parts of the stands rebuilt. The individual stands would be connected to each other, and the western stand (Tribuna América) would be enlarged to equal in height to the rest of the auditorium.

A major evolution was to be the roofing of almost all sectors. A small gap in the roofing would only be created around the stadium's distinctive tower (Torre de los Homenajes), which should be retained.

The modernization would increase the stadium's capacity to 80,000 spectators. This is the minimum capacity required by FIFA to host the opening match and the World Cup final (Estadio Centenario was envisioned as a possible venue for the final should the candidacy of the four South American countries be successful).

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

In the final stage of the campaign to host the 2030 World Cup, only two candidacies mattered: in addition to the South American one, there was also a joint bid from Spain, Portugal and Morocco, which was able to offer better infrastructure; the trump card of the South American countries was the reference to history (the centennial of the first edition).

The host of the tournament was to be announced in 2024, but already on October 4, 2023 FIFA announced that the competition would be played in six countries: mainly Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but at the beginning of the championship, in celebration of the centennial of the World Cup, one game each will also be held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. At the same time, it was announced that Estadio Centenario will host the opening match.

What concept for the modernization of Estadio Centenario will be implemented?

Estadio Centenario modernization plan prepared by Gómez Platero Arquitectura & Urbanismo and Saceem will not be implemented. The Uruguayan Football Federation (AUF) eventually abandoned the 2023 project and in April 2024 conducted a process to select an architectural firm to develop a new concept.

The new vision for the modernization of Estadio Centenario was presented in late July 2024, on the occasion of the publication of the bid of Spain, Portugal and Morocco, as well as Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to host the 2030 World Cup (bid book). The main features of the new plan are the construction of a new west stand from scratch, lowering the pitch, increasing the capacity of the stadium to 63,000 spectators and roofing a significant part of the auditorium.