Arena Pantanal – tournament stadium description

Copa America 2021 games at Arena Pantanal

It’s the only stadium of the entire tournament selected only to host group games. Interestingly, the municipality of Cuiabá was against holding the competition entirely. However, the stadium is owned by the state of Mato Grosso, who agreed to allow games here even during a pandemic.

Location

The stadium is just south-west from the strict centre of Cuiabá, roughly 1.5 km away from the riverfronts of the Cuiabá river. Aside from a walk, one can choose to use local bus lines, which run just south of the sports complex where Arena Pantanal is located.

History of the stadium

It replaced the aged Estádio José Fragelli, which was demolished in 2010. The goal was not to meet local demand, rather to match FIFA’s expectations for the 2014 World Cup.

Arena Pantanal is one of the infamous white elephants, stadiums chronically underused after the main tournament. Interestingly, architects saw this happening and proposed an option of scaling down by removal of upper tiers and canopies behind both goals. This scenario wasn’t carried out, however, as it proved problematic and costly logistically as well.

Architecture

Located deep in the rainforest, the stadium proved a major challenge during the planning stage. It was decided that light steel prefabs would be the best option. With steel as the dominant material, thee stadium is relatively flexible and durable as well, only covered by a modest mesh veil. Although creation of internal gardens was planned initially, this never happened.

Other events

Although it nominally hosts up to 5 teams (one of them playing American football), the largest crowds have historically gathered for exhibition games by top Brazilian clubs touring the country. Of course, football fixtures during the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics also enjoyed a significant following.