Estadio Defensores del Chaco – stadium description

How did the Estadio Defensores del Chaco come about?

Estadio Defensores del Chaco was created at the initiative of the Paraguayan Football League (later Paraguayan Football Association), and its construction was particularly sought by Enrique Pinho, president of the organization from 1913 to 1923. Pinho gained support for the idea among government officials. The president of the country himself, Eduardo Schaerer, in 1915 donated his private land in the Sajonia district for the construction of the stadium.

When was the Estadio Defensores del Chaco inaugurated?

Construction began in February 1916. The stadium, with wooden stands capable of holding about 10,000 spectators and a pitch with an east-west orientation (today the playing field is rotated by 90°), was inaugurated on November 4, 1917. On the opening day, the deciding match for the national championship was played in the new stadium, in which Libertad defeated Olimpia 1–0. The first goal in the stadium was scored by Rufino Gorostiaga.

How did the Estadio Defensores del Chaco develop?

The stadium was originally known as Estadio de Puerto Sajonia or Estadio de la Liga. In 1924, Paraguay was scheduled to host the South American championship, but since the country was not prepared to do so, Uruguay agreed to take over the organization of the tournament. That same year, Uruguay's national team also won Olympic gold medals.

All this led to the decision to give the Uruguayans a special honor in Paraguay, and the stadium was briefly named Estadio Uruguay. Later on, however, the name Estadio de Puerto Sajonia was mainly used back. The facility also underwent modernization during this period.

During the War of the Chaco between Paraguay and Bolivia (1932–1935), the stadium became a recruiting and troop concentration point. Bolivian prisoners of war were also held there later in the war. The stadium was unusable after this period and took four years to repair. The facility was inaugurated again in August 1939.

In 1953, at a tournament in the Peruvian capital Lima, the Paraguayan national team became South American champions for the first time. Thanks to the money earned by the federation from this championship, the stadium was modernized between 1954 and 1956. At that time, a new concrete stand was built in the west, named after the winning team “Campeones de Lima”, and the pitch was rotated to its current north-south configuration.

In the 1960s, the concept of expanding the stadium to the form it roughly has today was conceived. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the north, east and south stands were expanded – thus creating a “horseshoe” that is separated from the west stand. The only part of the project that was not realized was the roof on the west stand.

In October 1967, on the occasion of the match between Paraguay and Argentina (1–1), floodlights were inaugurated. In 1974, the facility was named after the Chaco defenders of the war against Bolivia (Estadio Defensores del Chaco). In the 1980s and 1990s, the facility underwent further renovations. After the installation of plastic seats, the capacity was reduced from 50,000 to 37,000 spectators.

In 2006, on the centennial of the Paraguayan football federation, a Paraguayan football museum was opened in the stadium.

On February 1, 2009, an accident occurred at the stadium. A section of the ramp leading to the main stand, where seven police officers were located, collapsed, causing a 7-meter fall and the death of two police officers.

In 2015, the lower sections of the stands on the north, east and south were expanded. An additional narrow tier, known as the “Albirroja Vip,” was then created in the lower part of the eastern stand. The capacity of the stadium was then increased to more than 42,000 spectators. In 2021, a series of renovations were carried out to modernize the venue, including refurbishing the interior and VIP boxes, installing new seats and LED floodlights.

In 2023, thanks to a sponsorship agreement with ueno bank, the stadium was renamed Estadio ueno Defensores del Chaco.

What will be the future of Estadio Defensores del Chaco?

On October 11, 2023, FIFA announced that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the 2030 World Cup. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, a gesture was also made to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, which will each host one game of the tournament at the start of the championship.

At the end of 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 (the so-called “bid book”), proposals were presented for a stadium in Paraguay to host a single World Cup match.

Two concepts were presented in the bid. One proposal is a major upgrade of the Estadio Defensores del Chaco. As an alternative, the idea of building an entirely new national stadium was presented.

Should it be decided to modernize the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, the stadium's long-standing tradition of hosting some of the most important sporting events that take place in Paraguay will be upheld for years to come.

The Estadio Defensores del Chaco modernization project can be seen on a separate subpage

What events are held at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco?

The facility belongs to the Paraguayan Football Association, and although it does not have a permanent host, it often hosts league matches, including the famous derby between Cerro Porteño and Club Olimpia. The stadium usually hosts the Paraguayan national team, and the venue serves as the most important stadium in the country and is the de facto national stadium.

The Copa América tournament has been played in Paraguay only once, in 1999, and the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, as one of the five venues for this competition, naturally acted as the most important one, where the tournament final, among others, was played.

Paraguay also hosted Copa América matches in 1975, 1979 and 1983, when the tournament had no host. Paraguay's national team matches were then held at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, including the first game of the final two-match series in 1979, when the Paraguay team took the title for the second time.

The stadium is often used by Paraguayan clubs in international competitions. The facility has repeatedly hosted Copa Libertadores final matches, when a two-match series was played in the final.

On March 2, 1980, the Estadio Defensores del Chaco hosted the second leg of a two-game encounter for the Intercontinental Cup, in which Club Olimpia defeated Sweden's Malmö FF and won the trophy.

The stadium also hosted matches of the South American youth championship. The facility further served as a venue for a number of political and cultural events (including concerts).

What does Estadio Defensores del Chaco look like?

The stadium is a football facility, and the pitch is in a north-south orientation. The west stand is separated from the others, which form a “horseshoe” surrounding the playing field from the north, east and south. Four floodlight masts stand at the corners.

The stands are gently contoured and single-level, with only a modest socond, lower tier on the east side (the so-called “Albirroja Vip”). The auditorium is equipped with plastic seats in the colors of the national flag. The capacity of the stadium is 42,354 spectators. The main stand in the upper part has glass boxes and a sparse canopy.

The stadium has a Paraguayan football museum, admission to which is free. The facility is located in the Sajonia district, amid the dense urban development of Paraguay's capital, Asunción.