Estadio Nacional José Diaz – stadium description

What did first Estadio Nacional de Lima look like?

At the end of the 19th century, when football was beginning to gain popularity in Peru, there were only two pitches in Lima dedicated to the sport. One belonged to the Lima Cricket Club and was located in Lima, and the other was located in Callao, on the southern coast of this province, in an area called Mar Brava.

In 1896, the now defunct Unión Cricket Club applied to the Lima City Council for the transfer of land suitable for the sport. The land that was allocated had previously belonged to the defunct Lima Shooting Club and was located near the Parque de la Exposición, in an area known as Santa Beatriz.

The official opening of the sports field suitable for football took place on July 18, 1897 under the name Estadio Guadalupe. It was the first sports field in the country designed exclusively for football. The first Peruvian Championship was played here.

In 1921, the British community financed the reconstruction and expansion of the stadium on the same site where Estadio Guadalupe had previously been located. The renovated facility was renamed Estadio Nacional de Lima.

The original plans called for the construction of a large sports complex, which lengthened the construction time. The stadium had a wooden grandstand and several side boxes at ground level, making it a relatively simple structure. It also featured an auxiliary pitch without stands and an Olympic swimming pool, which was donated by the Japanese community in 1955.

On November 1, 1927, during the South American Championships, the first international match was played at the stadium by the Peruvian national team, who faced the then Olympic champions, Uruguay. The match ended with a score of 4:0 for Uruguay, but began the history of the Estadio Nacional as the home of the Peruvian national team. A few days later, on November 13, 1927, the stadium witnessed the first goal scored by the Peruvian team in a match against Bolivia, ending with a score of 3:2 for Peru.

How did construction of Estadio Nacional Jose Diaz come about?

In 1951, Miguel Dasso, president of the Peruvian charity Sociedad de Beneficencia de Lima, proposed the construction of a new stadium to replace the small Nacional. The new venue was to have a capacity of 53,000 spectators and be made entirely of concrete. Thanks to state support, the project was completed in record time - the stadium was inaugurated by President Manuel Odría after just one year of construction. The Bolivian national team was invited to the inauguration and won the match 1:0. The wooden stands of the old stadium were moved to Estadio Lolo Fernández, where they served until 2000.

The two stands (north and south) held around 16 000 spectators each, while the preference stands (east and west) had three levels: high, low and intermediate. The main structure of the stadium remains today, with the characteristic feature being the tower in the north stand, which remained unused until 2004 when it was renovated for the Copa América.

Facilities for other sports, such as boxing, swimming and athletics, as well as administrative offices for the Peruvian Institute of Sport and other federations, were also built within the stadium.

The record attendance at the Estadio Nacional took place in 1959, when Peru faced England. The match ended with a score of 4:1 for the hosts and the attendance was 50,306 spectators.

What tragic situation happened at Estadio Nacional Jose Diaz in 1964?

On May 24, 1964, Peru and Argentina met in the final of qualification for the Tokyo Olympics. The match took place at the packed Estadio Nacional, with an official attendance of 47,197 spectators. Argentina led 1:0; six minutes before the end of the match, Peru scored the equalising goal. However, the Uruguayan referee, Ángel Eduardo Pazos, did not recognise the goal. The decision sparked a riot, with fans invading the pitch to attack the referee. Police used dogs to disperse the crowd. The riots left 328 people dead and 500 injured.

After this tragedy, the capacity of the National Stadium was reduced from 53,000 to 45,000 seats, and the lack of proper evacuation systems contributed significantly to the extent of the losses.

What does Estadio Nacional Jose Diaz look like?

The Instituto Peruano del Deporte (IPD) and the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (UNI) signed a contract to renovate the stadium, including upgrading the athletics track and refurbishing the offices. The initial budget was 29 million sols, but eventually the cost of the project increased to 206 million sols and took more than two years to complete.

The new structure of the stadium was presented by IPD president Arturo Woodman at the Pan-American Sports Organisation (PASO) assembly. The stadium gained a modern sound system and technology, allowing, among other things, the purchase of tickets online, which provides IPD with additional income, avoiding outsourcing.

On August 27, 2005, the artificial pitch was inaugurated for the U17 World Cup held in Peru. The stadium was re-inaugurated on July 24, 2011 with a friendly match between the Peru and Spain U-20 teams, ending with a score of 0:0. President Alan García Pérez, during whose tenure the stadium upgrade project was approved, was present at the ceremony. Also in the stands were the players of the Peruvian national team, returning from Argentina after winning 3rd place in the Copa America.

In addition to the tower located in the north stand, another distinctive feature of the National Stadium is that its façade is carved with the names of prominent Peruvian athletes who have been awarded the ‘sports laurels’, an award given by the government to all those who have achieved important achievements for Peruvian sport in international competitions.

What is the ‘Alameda del Deporte’, in which Estadio Nacional Jose Diaz has a share?

On October 31, 2008, the Alameda del Deporte was opened, linking Estadio Nacional with Estadio Alejandro Villanueva. This project aimed to promote sport and support the urban, economic and commercial development of the La Victoria district. The investment amounted to around one million new salts, funded by the Ministry of Housing and the municipality of La Victoria.

What sporting events have taken place at Estadio Nacional Jose Diaz?

Estadio Nacional José Díaz has played host to a number of significant football events that have become a permanent part of sporting history on the continent. The stadium was the venue for the Campeonato Sudamericano (now Copa América) tournaments in 1953 and 1957, as well as the Copa América in the 1975, 1979 and 1983 editions, when the tournament had no permanent home. In 2004, the stadium again served as the main arena for the Copa América. The South American youth championships have also been held there: Campeonato Sudamericano Sub-20 in 1975 and Campeonato Sudamericano Sub-17 in 1986 and 1995.

The stadium has also hosted Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and Copa Merconorte matches. At national level, it hosts Primera División (League 1), Segunda División (League 2) and Copa Perú finals.

The Estadio Nacional has also been the arena for major multidisciplinary events, such as the 2019 Pan-American and Paramerican Games in Lima, where the opening and closing ceremonies took place. The next editions of the Pan American and Paramerican Games are scheduled for 2027 and the South American Games for 2030.

What non-sporting events have taken place at Estadio Nacional Jose Diaz?

With its large capacity, Estadio Nacional José Díaz has hosted many important concerts by international and Latin American artists. In 1980, Julio Iglesias performed here, followed a year later by the Puerto Rican group Menudo. In 1995, the stadium hosted Phil Collins and Carlos Santana from Mexico. In 2007, the band Soda Stereo gave a concert as part of the Me Verás Volver tour, and the following year the bands Travis and R.E.M. took to the stage during the Accelerate Tour.

Subsequent years have seen performances here by Elton John (2012), Iron Maiden as part of the Somewhere Back In Time World Tour (2009), Paul McCartney (the Out There! tour in 2014), Coldplay (A Head Full of Dreams Tour in 2016), as well as Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran (2017). More recently, Estadio Nacional has hosted Daddy Yankee (La Última Vuelta World Tour in 2022), Bad Bunny (also in 2022), Romeo Santos (Fórmula Volumen 3 La Gira in 2023), as well as Sam Smith, Luis Miguel and Colombian band Morat in 2024.