Estadio Gran Parque Central

Gran Parque Central Stadium
Estadio Gran Parque Central
El Parque[1] el Templo Tricolor,[2] El primer estadio mundialista[3]
Venue of the 1930 FIFA World Cup
Map
LocationMontevideo, Uruguay
OwnerClub Nacional de Football
Capacity38,000[5]
Field size105 x 68 m
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Built1898-99
Opened25 May 1900[4]
Renovated1911, 1944, 1974, 2005
Tenants
Nacional (1901–present)
Deutscher Fussball Klub (1900–1909)
Uruguay national football team (1900–1930)
Website
nacional.uy/granparquecentral

The Estadio Gran Parque Central is the stadium of Club Nacional de Football. It is located in Montevideo, Uruguay, near Nacional headquarters (exactly between the streets Carlos Anaya, Jaime Cibils, General Urquiza and Comandante Braga), in the La Blanqueada neighbourhood.

Due to various factors, it is considered a historical stadium.[6][7][8] Built in 1900, it is the oldest current stadium in America and the fifteenth in the world.[9][10] But it mainly stands out for having hosted the 1930 FIFA World Cup opening match, one of the first two matches in the history of the competition, when on 13 July 1930 United States defeated Belgium 3–0 in Group D. FIFA remembered this fact when in 2005 a delegation headed by its president, Joseph Blatter,[11] came to visit the reforms and placed a commemorative plaque at the stadium. This historical fact was remembered by FIFA on two occasions: 1987 and 2005.[12]

In addition, the stadium was also the venue for the Uruguay national team, both in soccer and in other disciplines. Since its creation and until 1930, it was the main sports arena in Uruguay,[13] so until the inauguration of the Centenario Stadium, the Uruguayan team officiated as a local in the Gran Parque Central. It was also the venue for other important international tournaments, like the 1923 and 1924 South American Championships (current Copa América), the 2015 South American U-20 Championship or the 2021 Women's Copa Libertadores final.

Together with the Centenario Stadium, it is the Uruguayan stadium with the best artificial light, after a reform carried out in 2021.[14] It is also, after the Centenario, the stadium in which the Uruguayan soccer team has played more official matches. In addition, on 31 October 2018, it was the stadium to register the highest ticket sales for a stadium in Uruguay without being the Centenario, selling the 34,000 tickets available.

  1. ^ "El Parque se agranda". El Observador. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Abreu volvió a pisar el templo". Ovación. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Lanzan nuevo proyecto de obras en el Parque Central: 200 palcos más". Tenfield. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Estadio Gran Parque Central". Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  5. ^ Clásico: Unos 38 mil hinchas tricolores dijeron presente en el Gran Parque Central (spanish). Futbol.uy. 13 November 2023.
  6. ^ El Parque es de la gente
  7. ^ "Intendente visitó obras del Gran Parque Central. "El intendente de Montevideo, Daniel Martínez, realizó una visita al histórico Parque Central"". Archived from the original on 2022-11-13. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  8. ^ Entre Artigas y el Mundial
  9. ^ GPC, abuelo de América
  10. ^ Sudamericano Sub 20: la acción se traslada al Gran Parque Central, otro histórico escenario
  11. ^ "La FIFA y Uruguay celebran el pasado". Archived from the original on 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  12. ^ FIFA.com
  13. ^ A un siglo de la primera Copa en propiedad
  14. ^ La selección uruguaya al Parque: Nacional recibió las columnas para la nueva iluminación