Montevideo, Uruguay · Capacity: 60,235
The birthplace of the World Cup — built for and host of the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final in 1930. A UNESCO World Heritage landmark of football history. The 60,235-seat stadium hosts Uruguay national team matches and the clásico between Peñarol and Nacional, South America's oldest football rivalry.
The Estadio Centenario in Montevideo hosted the very first World Cup final in 1930, and FIFA named it the sport's only “historical monument of world football.” It remains the home of the Uruguayan national team and a shrine to the game's origins.
It sits in the Parque Batlle district of Montevideo, a relaxed Río de la Plata capital.
Below are the Montevideo stays, restaurants and bars fans use around the Centenario.
Hotels, bars, restaurants and things to do near Estadio Centenario in Montevideo — every pick web-researched and source-cited, closest to the stadium first.
This charming boutique hotel in a restored 1920s Ciudad Vieja building offers individually designed rooms and a rooftop terrace with cathedral views. Visiting football journalists, independent travelers, and musicians love the authentic Montevideo atmosphere and walkable location to Mercado del Puerto. The personalized service feels like staying with friends.
The Radisson Victoria Plaza on Plaza Independencia is Montevideo's most prominent hotel, a 25-storey landmark that has been the base of choice for visiting football delegations, journalists, and sports travelers since the 1960s. The hotel's central location between the Old City and the modern centre puts the Estadio Centenario, the waterfront, and the best parrillas all within comfortable reach. The rooftop bar offers one of the finest panoramic views of Montevideo's remarkable streetscape.
Montevideo's modern waterfront Hyatt features a rooftop bar with panoramic views over the Río de la Plata and the Ciudad Vieja skyline. International football delegations visiting for Copa Libertadores matches at Estadio Centenario appreciate the contemporary rooms and walkable location to the port market. The lobby bar buzzes on match nights.
A modern hotel along the Rambla waterfront with sweeping Rio de la Plata views and easy access to Estadio Centenario. Football fans and Carnival visitors enjoy a comfortable base with oceanfront sunsets and quick connections to Montevideo's stadiums.
Gloriously restored 1921 grand hotel in the Carrasco beachfront neighborhood, now a Sofitel with a stunning casino. The most elegant stay in Uruguay, with beach access, a world-class spa, and the Ará restaurant. Visiting Copa Libertadores teams, F1-adjacent visitors, and celebrities exploring Uruguay stay here.
Quirky Tolkien-themed pub in Ciudad Vieja with craft beers and medieval décor that has become a Montevideo institution. Peñarol and Nacional fans debate the Clásico del fútbol uruguayo over pints in this unique fantasy-world setting.
Operating since 1895, this Ciudad Vieja institution is Montevideo's oldest bar, famous for its grappamiel and spontaneous tango performances. Football legends from Uruguay's golden eras drank here, and visiting fans soak in over a century of history on match days at nearby Estadio Centenario. The Wednesday night tango milonga is unmissable.
Atmospheric live music bar near the Rambla featuring tango, candombe, and murga performances in an intimate setting. Football fans visiting Montevideo for Copa Libertadores matches experience Uruguay's rich musical traditions over grappamiel and medio y medio.
Café Bar Bacacay in the Ciudad Vieja is one of Montevideo's most beloved traditional establishments, a century-old bar where football is discussed with the intensity of national policy and the walls carry photographs of Uruguayan sporting legends from Obdulio Varela to Diego Forlán. The bar fills before and after Peñarol and Nacional matches with a multi-generational crowd who treat football as the serious philosophical pursuit Uruguayans have always considered it. Ordering a medio y medio — half sparkling, half still white wine — and joining the post-match debate is essential Montevideo culture.
Montevideo's best cocktail bar in the upscale Pocitos neighborhood, serving creative cocktails with Uruguayan grappa and tannat wine reductions. A cozy speakeasy vibe that attracts Peñarol and Nacional players after matches, local musicians, and Montevideo's creative class.
Part bookshop, part café, part cultural center, Escaramuza in Punta Carretas serves excellent brunch and specialty coffee in a beautifully designed space filled with curated books and local art. Visiting journalists covering Estadio Centenario matches and literary-minded football fans find it the perfect morning retreat. The carrot cake is legendary.
A refined bistro in Ciudad Vieja serving modern Uruguayan cuisine with emphasis on grass-fed beef and Tannat wines. Penarol and Nacional football fans celebrate derby victories here over perfectly grilled entrecote and local vintages.
This rustic Ciudad Vieja parrilla serves some of Montevideo's finest grilled Uruguayan beef in a cozy stone-walled setting. Peñarol and Nacional players are regulars, and visiting international football teams discover the quality of Uruguayan grass-fed beef here. The asado de tira and provoleta starters are essential match-day fuel.
Montevideo's legendary 1868 iron-frame market in Ciudad Vieja, a carnivore's paradise. Massive wood-fired parrillas grill entire cows while wine flows freely. Luis Suárez, Darwin Núñez, and every Uruguayan football legend eats here when home. Saturday afternoon at the Mercado is Montevideo's best experience.
Walk the historic old town from Plaza Independencia past art deco facades, tango bars, and street art to the port — Montevideo's most character-rich neighborhood.
South America's most trophy-laden club, Peñarol has won five Copa Libertadores titles, and their museum in Montevideo houses every major honour alongside vintage shirts, match programmes, and the personal effects of legends like Enzo Francescoli. For football historians and Copa Libertadores fans, this is as important a pilgrimage site as any in South America.
The Palermo and Sur neighbourhoods of Montevideo are the living heart of candombe, Uruguay's UNESCO-recognised African-heritage drum tradition that forms the rhythmic foundation of the country's musical identity. Following the sound of tamboril drums through the narrow streets to discover an impromptu comparsa rehearsal is one of the most genuinely moving musical experiences available anywhere in South America. Fans of world music and percussive traditions travel specifically to Montevideo to witness candombe in its authentic community context.
Nacional's state-of-the-art new stadium is one of South America's finest modern football venues, where Uruguay's most decorated club plays to passionate support in a building that combines Latin American football intensity with world-class facilities. The club's remarkable history spanning over a century of championships gives every match a weight that fans from visiting countries find overwhelming. The Uruguayan football atmosphere, combining technical passion and emotional intensity, is among South America's most authentic.
Built for the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, the Estadio Centenario is one of football's holiest sites, where the tournament that birthed the world's most popular sport was contested in a stadium now preserved as a UNESCO monument to athletic achievement. Attending a match here connects fans to the entire history of world football through the building's extraordinary continuity of purpose across nearly a century. The attached football museum is one of the finest in Latin America and essential for any serious football pilgrim.
Visit the Estadio Centenario, site of the first-ever FIFA World Cup final in 1930 and a designated FIFA World Football Monument. The on-site Museo del Futbol displays trophies, memorabilia, and artifacts tracing the history of Uruguayan football from its golden age to the present. A pilgrimage site for any football fan.
Estadio Centenario in Montevideo is tracked across 0 events and seats 60,235 fans. Here's how fans build a trip around it:
Structured facts on this page (capacity, opening year, architect, ownership) are compiled from public reference databases and verified against venue coordinates.
Luis Suarez have been spotted at Estadio Centenario.
Estadio Centenario has a capacity of 60,235 people.
Estadio Centenario opened in 1930. It was designed by Juan Antonio Scasso.
Uruguay National Team plays home games at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.
Check our events page for upcoming events at Estadio Centenario.
