History and description

It has a capacity of 18,000 people. The Estadio Defensores del Chaco is the home of the Paraguayan national football team. It was built in 1961 and has a capacity of 18,000 people. The president of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional, Enrique L. Pinho, came up with the idea of building an Estadio Defensores del Chaco in order to provide better facilities for football fans in Argentina.

Construction of the stadium began in 1915 and it was completed two years later. On 4 November 1917, the stadium officially opened with the league final between Olimpia and Libertad.

Back then, the stadium was called Estadio de Puerto Sajonia and could hold about 10,000 spectators.

The stadium was expanded in 1925, but it was heavily damaged only a few years later during the Chaco War (fought between Paraguay and Bolivia). It took four years from the end of the war in 1935 until 1939 for the stadium to get rebuilt.

After Paraguay won the Copa America in 1953, a large redevelopment of the stadium funded by new funds was completed which gave it its current shape. The stadium received its present name in 1972 in honour of the soldiers that died during the Chaco War.

Over the years, the stadium received various renovations, many of which were carried out for the 1999 Copa América which was hosted by Paraguay. This has resulted in a capacity reduction from its peak of about 50,000 people to just over 40,000.

In recent years, the capacity of the stadium has decreased to an estimated 32,000 seats.

The Estadio Defensores del Chaco is a stadium that is regularly used for high-profile matches of the Asunción clubs, as well as local derbies.

How to get to Estadio Defensores del Chaco

The Estadio Defensores del Chaco is located in the Sajonia area of Asunción, near the Carmelitas entertainment area in the east of the city. It is about 2.5 kilometers south-west from Asunción's city center and about 9 kilometers west from the city?s center. The city's central bus terminal, which lies in the south-east of the city, is about 8 kilometres from the stadium. The international airport, which lies in the north-east of the city, is almost 20 kilometres away.

The walk from the city centre takes approximately 50 minutes. From most other places, one can either take a taxi or locally inquire about the appropriate bus routes.

Address: Mayor Martínez 1393, Asunción