The CONMEBOL Libertadores also referred to as the Copa Libertadores de América, is an annual international club football tournament arranged by CONMEBOL that has been running since 1960. It is the most prestigious South American club football competition.
Some of the most iconic football stadiums in the world will host this tournament. In this article, we will have a look at the stadiums that will host this tournament.
Copa Libertadores 2023 stadiums
The Alberto José Armando Stadium, widely known as La Bombonera, is a football stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The stadium is frequently cited as one of the most iconic stadiums in the world. It was built in 1940 and since then it is the home stadium of Boca Juniors. Boca has qualified to the Copa Libertadores as the current Argentinian champions. The club has 11 appearances in a Copa Libertadores final in 31 appearances, which is a record for the tournament. Boca has won the title 6 times with the last being in 2007.
The oldest stadium in America and the 15th oldest in the world is the Estadio Gran Parque Central in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is also the stadium that hosted the first World cup game ever in 1930. It was built in 1900 and since then it is the home stadium of Club Nacional de Football. The club qualified for the Libertadores cup as the current Uruguayan champions. Nacional has won the title 3 times in the 6 finals they played. The team holds the record for most tournament entries with 49 and for the most games played.
The Estadio Manuel Ferreira is located Asunción, Paraguay. It opened in 1964 and has a capacity of 22,000. It is the home venue of Club Olimpia. Olimpia is the 2022 Clausura champions. They have participated in Copa Libertadores 45 times, having won the title 3 times and being the runner-up 4 times. The team is the only Paraguayan team to have ever won the tournament.
The biggest Brazilian stadium and the 3rd in America is the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. Built in 1950 the stadium has hosted two Word cup finals, 1950 and in 2014. The iconic Brazilian stadium has seen attendances of 150,000 or more on 26 occasions but now the capacity is reduced to 78,838 seats. It is the stadium that will host the Copa Libertadores 2023 final. It is now used as the home venue for Flamengo and Fluminense. Flamengo are the current Copa Libertadores winners. The club has also won the tournament another two times in 17 appearances. Fluminense on the other hand, have never won the Libertadores. They managed to reach the final in 2008 in a total of 9 appearances in the competition. The club qualified this year after finishing 3rd in the last Brazilian championship.
The Estadio Tigo La Huerta is a football stadium in Asunción, Paraguay. The stadium seats 10,100 people and opened in 2005. It is the home ground of Club Libertad. Libertad are the Paraguayan Apertura 2022 champions. When it comes to Copa Libertadores they have 21 appearances having reached the semifinals twice.
The Estadio Atanasio Girardot is located in Medellin, Colombia. Opened in 1953 with 40,943 seat capacity, it serves as the home to Atlético Nacional and Deportivo Independiente Medellín. Atletico Nacional are the Colombian Apertura 2022 champions thus gaining their 24th participation in the Copa Libertadores. The club has won the title twice in its history. On the other hand, Independiente Medellín has only reached the semi-finals once in 9 participations.
The biggest stadium in South America is the Estadio Monumental of River Plate in Buenos Aires. After the last expansion at the start of 2023, it can now hold 83,196 people. It opened in 1938 and in its history, it has hosted the 1978 world cup final and four finals of the Copa América. River Plate is the team with the most wins and the team that has collected the most points in the historical table of the Copa Libertadores. The club has won the title 4 times having played in 7 finals in 38 appearances in the tournament.
With 59,283 sets capacity, the Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo is the largest stadium in Ecuador. Built in 1987 in Guayaquil, the stadium is the home to the Barcelona de Ecuador. The Ecuadorian 2022 Serie A runner-up is the first team of the country to have reached the Copa Libertadores finals but lost on both occasions. It has also the most appearances in the competition with 29.
The Estadio Hernando Siles is a multi-purpose stadium in La Paz, Bolivia. With 41,143 seat capacity, it is the largest stadium in Bolivia. Opened in 1930, it is the home ground to Club Bolívar and The Strongest. Bolivar, the 2022 Apertura champions, is the Bolivian club with the most appearances in Copa Libertadores. They have participated 37 times reaching the semi-finals twice. On the other hand, The Strongest have 28 participations and have only managed to reach the round 16 of the tournament.
The Allianz Parque is a football stadium in São Paulo, Brazil. Opened in 2014, the stadium has a capacity of 43,713 spectators. The stadium is the home to the current Brazilian champions, Palmeiras. In addition to their three Copa Libertadores titles, Palmeiras has also reached the final three times out of their 22 appearances in the competition which is more than any other Brazilian team.
The Estadio Hernán Ramírez Villegas is a multi-purpose stadium in Pereira, Colombia. The stadium holds 30,313 people and since its opening in 1971, it is the home ground of Deportivo Pereira. The Colombian 2022 Clausura champions will participate in Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history.
The Arena da Baixada, is a football stadium located in Curitiba, Brazil. The stadium opened in 1999 and was renovated in 2014 in order to host matches for the 2014 World Cup. With 42,372 seat capacity, it is the home stadium of Club Athletico Paranaense. Paranaense are the current finalists of Copa Libertadores in their 9th appearance in the competition. They also managed to reach the final in 2005.
The Estadio Municipal Nelson Oyarzún Arenas is located in Chilan, Chile. Opened in 1961 and renovated in 2008 it is the home ground of Ñublense. Being the Chilen 2022 Primera División runners-up, the club will participate in Copa Libertadores for the first time in its history.
The Estádio Beira-Rio is a football stadium in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Opened in 1969 it was one of the 12 venues that hosted the 2014 world cup. It has a capacity of 50,128 and it is the home to Internacional. The 2022 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A runners-up, Internacional will participate in Copa Libertadores for the 15th time in their history. The club has won the title 2 times in 3 cup final appearances.
The Estadio Presbítero Bartolomé Grella is located in Paraná, Argentina. The stadium has a capacity of 23,500 spectators and it opened in 1956. It is the home ground of Patronato de Paraná who will participate for the first time in Copa Libertadores as the 2022 Copa Argentina champions. Patronato, who were relegated to the Argentinian second division in 2022, will be the 8th team in history to play in the second division of their country and the Copa Libertadores in the same season.
The second largest Argentinian stadium is the Estadio Presidente Juan Domingo Perón in Buenos Aires. Built in 1950, it can hold 61,000 people and it is the home of the Racing Club. The club has participated in 11 Copa Libertadores tournaments, having won the title in 1967.
The Estadio Monumental Virgen de Chapi is a multi-purpose stadium located in Arequipa, Peru. It was built in 1993 with 60,000 seat capacity. Currently, it is used as the home stadium to Melgar. The 2022 Peru Liga 1 runners-up will participate in the Copa Libertadores for the 7th time in their history. They have never managed to progress above the group stage.
The Arena Corinthians is a football stadium located in São Paulo, Brazil. It opened just before the 2014 World Cup where it hosted six games. The stadium, which can hold 50,000 people, is owned and operated by Corinthians. The club has participated in 16 Copa Libertadores tournaments having won the trophy in 2012.
The Estadio Alejandro Villanueva is located in Lima, Peru. It opened in 1974 and can hold 33,938 people. The stadium is owned and operated by the current Peruvian champions, Alianza Lima. Having participated in 28 tournaments, the team had its greatest success in the 1976 and 1978 Copa Libertadores, in which managed to reach the semi-finals.
The Estadio Monumental David Arellano is a football stadium in Santiago, Chile. Opened in 1975, it is the home ground of Colo Colo. The current Chilean champions are the only club from the country to have managed to win a Copa Libertadores cup in 1993. They also managed to reach the final in 1973 in a total of 32 appearances in the tournament.
The Estadio Olímpico de la Universidad Central de Venezuela is a multi-purpose stadium in the capital of Caracas. Built in 1951 it has a capacity of 20,900 and is the home of Metropolitanos among others. The 2022 Venezuelan champions will debut this year in the Copa Libertadores.
The Mineirao stadium is located in Bello Horizonte Brazil. Opened in 1965, the stadium has a capacity of 61,927 and hosted matches for the 2014 world cup. The facility will be used by Atletico Mineiro until their new stadium will be ready in 2023. Atlético is currently building a new stadium, the Arena MRV, which will have a capacity of over 48,000 spectators. Atletico Mineiro were the Copa Libertadores winners in 2013.
The Estadio Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda is located in Quito, Ecuador. The stadium holds 18,799 spectators and was built in 1987. It is currently used as the home stadium of Aucas. The 2022 Ecuadorian champions will debut this year in the Copa Libertadores.
The Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, named after the legendary Argentinian player who made his professional debut here in 1976, is located in Buenos Aires. It opened in 1940 and has a capacity of 26,000. The stadium is home to the 1985 Copa Libertadores winners, Argentinos Juniors. This will be the 5th appearance of the club in the tournament.
The largest football facility in Venezuela with a capacity of 52,000 is the Estadio Monumental de Maturín. It opened in 2007 to host the 2007 Copa America and now it is used by the Monagas Sport Club. This will be the second Copa Libertadores for the Venezuelan 2022 Primera División runners-up.
The Estadio General Pablo Rojas is located in Asunción, Paraguay. It opened in 1970 and it is the home venue of Cerro Porteño. Despite having played in 43 editions of the Copa Libertadores, Cerro has never won the tournament. They have only managed to reach the semi-finals in 6 occasions.
Built in 1952 in Lima, the National Stadium of Peru is used by Sporting Cristal for international competitions such as the Copa Libertadores. The 1997 runners-up will participate this year for the 38th time in the Copa Libertadores, which is a record for a Peruvian team. When playing games in the Peruvian league the club uses the Estadio Alberto Gallardo.
The Estadio Belvedere is located in Montevideo, Uruguay. It was built in 1909 and can hold up to 10,000 people. It is the home of the Uruguayan 2022 Primera División runners-up, Liverpool FC of Montevideo. After two unsuccessful trials, the club will participate in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores for the first time in its history.
The newest stadium on the list is the Estadio Banco Guayaquil in Quito, Ecuador. Opened in 2021 with 12,000 seat capacity it serves as the home to Independiente del Valle. The current Copa Sudemaricana champions were the finalists in the 2016 Copa Libertadores.
