Estadio Nacional – stadium description

What led to idea of building Estadio Nacional de Chile?

In 1909, a large demonstration was held where the public demanded that the National Stadium be built by the state. In an event that brought together around 15,000 athletes from all over the country, a letter was handed to President Pedro Mont asking for financial support to build the facility.

In the same year, the Federación Sportiva Nacional was founded with the main objective of building National Stadium and participating in the Centenary of the Argentine Republic and the International Olympic Games that were to be held in Buenos Aires. President Montt, together with the Minister of Education Emiliano Figueroa Larraín, sent a request to Congress on June 28, 1910 to allocate 200,000 pesos for the construction of a stadium for physical exercise and sports competitions.

Congress instructed the Ministry of Industry and Public Works, in collaboration with the Directorate of Public Works, to draw up a design for the stadium in accordance with the Sports Federation's request, on which architect José Luis Mosquera worked. The design included the main guidelines for the location of the stadium - along the road linking San Bernardo to Santiago, between Lo Martínez and Astronomical Observatory Street, on land previously occupied by the Santiago Police.

Towards the San Bernardo road, there will be entrances of honour, ticket offices, pedestrian walkways, porticoes and pyramids commemorating the presidents. Also planned was an exit towards the tram sector and a new thoroughfare, the Avenida de Maratón, designed for motor racing, 3,000 metres long and 20 metres wide.

The stadium was to include an indoor sports hall for 2,000 people, as well as swimming pools and aquatics facilities. The main structure was to be built of Manesmann masts and the overall capacity was to be 30,400. However, this project was put on hold.

While the construction of the Estadio Nacional was postponed, modern stadiums were built thanks to benefactors and private investors, such as Estadio Santa Laura (1922), Estadio de Carabineros (1923, later taken over by Colo-Colo), and Campos de Sport de Ñuñoa became the most important venue.

What led to resumption of construction of Estadio Nacional de Chile?

Following the Olympic Games in Paris (1924) and Amsterdam (1928) and the political tensions of the 1920s, President Alessandri appointed a commission made up of Ricardo Müller, Rolando van Kildonsk, Luis Quinteros, Guillermo García Huidobro, Ramón Palma and Enrique Barbosa to reactivate the idea of building a National Stadium, originally proposed by President Montt in 1910. The commission, acting under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, launched a public competition, which was won by Ricardo Müller, Aníbal Fuentealba and Alberto Cormatches.

What did design of Estadio Nacional de Chile look like?

The design presented by the architects was drawn up by Austrian architect and engineer Karl Brunner, who came to Chile through the efforts of Rodolfo Oyarzún and had extensive knowledge of engineering, architecture and economics. Brunner, who was employed by the Department of Architecture of the Ministry of Industry and Public Works, worked with José Luis Mosquera and was one of the pioneers of the concept of modern urban planning and the zoning of the city. The idea of a National Stadium, modelled on Berlin's Olympic Stadium, was included in Santiago's Inter-Municipal Metropolitan Plan.

The location of the stadium was determined on the chacra Lo Cañita y Lo Valdivieso, a 612,510 m² area donated to the state. Construction was commissioned to the company Salinas y Fabres Ltda, and officially began on February 25, 1937 under the direction of Ricardo Müller. Work lasted one year, nine months and eleven days. The efforts of President Alessandri, who made sure that resources were used properly, ensured that the project was completed. With a capacity of 41,000 spectators, the stadium required 210,000 bags of cement, three million kilograms of iron and 270 pieces of wood. The total cost of construction was 18 million pesos, equivalent to around 2 billion pesos for 2010.

The new facility also included a cycling and athletics track. A new street (Camino de Peñalolén or Lo Valdivieso) was opened. It was originally called Calle del Estadio (Stadium Street) until 1962, when it was renamed Avenida Grecia.

What was opening ceremony of Estadio Nacional de Chile like?

The stadium was officially opened on December 3, 1938 and admission to events was free. The inauguration featured a gymnastic revue and a parade with the participation of federations and sports clubs. The following day, December 4, the first friendly football match was played, with Chilean club Colo-Colo beating Brazil's São Cristóvão by a score of 6:3.

How has Estadio Nacional de Chile changed over years?

Estadio Nacional de Chile was built with a capacity of 70,000 spectators in 1937, when it was dubbed the white elephant because it was thought it would never be filled.

For the 1962 World Cup, its capacity was increased to 75,527 seats - with the capacity to hold more than 80,000 spectators - by removing the cycling track, which was relocated to another site. In 1967, 56m high lighting towers were added.

Over the years, capacity has been reduced to keep escape routes clear and prevent accidents. During the 2000 World Youth Athletics Championships, individual seating was required, reducing the maximum capacity to 65,000 spectators.

Thanks to the renovation carried out in 2009-2010, among other works, seats were installed in all sectors of the stadium, press rooms were refurbished, scoreboards and electronic screens were installed. The second phase of the redevelopment included the roof and a new lighting system. However, this phase had to be postponed due to new priorities that arose after the earthquake of February 27, 2010.

The earthquake, in addition to other problems related to the renovation, postponed the inauguration originally planned for March 2010. Exceptionally, the stadium was opened for the 2010 Copa Libertadores semi-final between Universidad de Chile and Chivas de Guadalajara, on 5 August 2010. The stadium was finally reopened on September 12, 2010 in the presence of President Sebastián Piñera and former President Michelle Bachelet. Piñera announced that, due to the hosting of the 2014 South American Games and Copa América 2015, the capacity of the stadium had been reduced to 49,000 spectators.

The option of building an alternative venue in the capital, the so-called Estadio Chile, which would have a capacity of 68,000 spectators, was then assessed. Options for its location were Parque O'Higgins or in the former Aeródromo Los Cerrillos. However, this project has not been realised.

What is Civic Park near Estadio Nacional de Chile?

In August 2011, Sebastián Piñera's government announced the construction of a Civic Park near the Estadio Nacional de Chile, at an estimated cost of 30 billion pesos. The construction of this park has transformed the sports complex into one of the largest parks in the city.

The designation of Santiago as the venue for the 2023 Pan-American Games led to the renovation of the sports complex, which allowed for the construction of new sports facilities that accommodated various sports. This set of facilities gave rise to the National Stadium Sports Park, leaving the historic facility as the centrepiece of this space.

Both the construction of the park and its facilities, and the renovation of the stadium itself, led to the closure of the arena from 2021. In 2022, the stadium was exceptionally reopened for some football matches, music events, the Chilean constitutional plebiscite and Teletón, a televised charity event. The National Stadium was closed again in January 2023 to complete renovations.

What was happening at Estadio Nacional de Chile in 1973?

In 1973, after the September 11, coup that ousted Chilean President Salvador Allende, its interiors were used as a detention and torture centre for opponents of the military dictatorship, between 12 September and 9 November. More than forty thousand people were held there. In one day, the Red Cross estimated the number of prisoners at seven thousand, of whom around 300 were foreigners.

According to survivor testimonies collected by this humanitarian institution, torture and threats to shoot were used against those detained in the stadium. In addition, hooded men walked among the detainees, denouncing leftist party fighters who were being persecuted by the dictatorship. Some of them were shot dead in the prison area, while others were taken to unknown locations and executed.

The National Stadium and some elements in the area, including the Discóbolo statue, popularly known as El pilucho, were declared a historical monument on September 11, 2003. The application for declaration was submitted by Claudia Woywood and Marcelo Rodríguez on 1 April 2003 and was recognised as a National Monument under Decree No. 710 of the Ministry of Education.

In 2010, a series of memorials were inaugurated at the National Stadium to recall its use as a detention and torture centre. These included the reopening of Escotilla n.º 8 and the creation of a section of stands in the north gallery of the stadium that retained the stadium's original design and to which was added the phrase A nation without a memory is a nation without a future, which has since remained unused by spectators.

What sporting events have taken place at Estadio Nacional de Chile?

In the 1980s, it served as the venue for home matches of the Colo-Colo and Universidad Católica clubs until they had their own stadiums: Estadio Monumental David Arellano, reopened finally in 1989, and San Carlos de Apoquindo, inaugurated in 1988. Since then, one of the clubs leasing this stadium is Universidad de Chile. Likewise, it is periodically used by clubs with low attendances, such as Palestino and Santiago Morning, for duels against big teams, mainly for economic reasons. The stadium also hosts the Supercopa de Chile.

Since 1939, the Estadio Nacional de Chile has been the official home of the Chilean national football team, where it plays many friendly matches and was the main home of the World Cup qualifiers when they began to be played from 1954.

During the 1962 World Cup, Chile hosted the tournament and the National Stadium was the venue for major matches such as the famous Battle of Santiago (Chile - Italy). Group B matches, quarter-final stage, semi-finals, the 3rd place match and the final of the competition were played at National Stadium.

In 1948, the South American Championship was played at the Estadio Nacional de Chile. The Copa América, Copa Sudamericana, Copa Libertadores were held here, as well as the 1987 World Youth Football Championship, the 3rd and 10th South American Games in 1986 and 2001, and the 2000 World Junior Athletics Championship.

In the 1970s, the stadium hosted boxing fights by Chile's Martín Vargas, the first taking place on December 20, 1975 against Gonzalo Cruz for the national flyweight title, from which he emerged victorious, while the second fight took place on November 30, 1977 against Mexican Miguel Canto for the world flyweight title, in which he was defeated.

What non-sporting events have taken place at Estadio Nacional de Chile?

Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez has been operating since the 1961 general election as a polling station for municipal, parliamentary and presidential elections in Chile. It is the largest polling station in the country with almost 60,000 authorised voters. The only election in which the stadium was not a polling station was the election held in 2021, when the venue was not available due to renovation work for the 2023 Pan American Games.

There have also been events of great social and political significance, such as the speech given by the former President of the Republic, Patricio Aylwin, on March 12, 1990, at a ceremony celebrating the arrival of democracy in the country.

Estadio Nacional de Chile has also been the scene of historic religious and social events, such as Pope John Paul II's meeting with young people on April 2, 1987. That evening, the Pope described the stadium as ‘a place of competition, but also of pain and suffering’, referring to the human rights violations that took place there.

The changing room where John Paul II rested for a few moments before his ceremonial entry into the stadium was converted into a chapel for the occasion and remains intact to this day. Its tours are limited and it is only opened on the occasion of guided tours, such as on Heritage Day.

Other denominations, such as Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses with congregations of an international nature, have occupied the complex as a venue for mass events.

Between the 13th and XXXII Teleton (1995-2022), the National Stadium hosted the final block of the charity event for children with disabilities, known as the closing night. Each year the stadium hosted more than 100,000 people during this event, and this final phase has become a Teleton tradition. In some years, the stadium also served as a venue for football and tennis matches organised for charity.

One example was in 2004, when a special doubles match featured Mario Kreutzberger, former president Ricardo Lagos, Horacio de la Peña and Fernando González, with Nicolás Massú acting as umpire. In addition, on some occasions Teleton sponsors, both those directly involved and those indirectly linked to the event, organised promotional activities. Examples include the Sal Disfruta in 2000 (which did not officially sponsor the event) and the Bloque Infantil, both of which were held at the National Stadium.