History and description

The Estadio Gran Parque Central officially opened on May 25, 1900 and two days later Nacional played their first match at the stadium. The encounter versus Deutscher FK ended in a 1-1 draw. In the first decade of the 20th century, Nacional only played sporadically at Gran Parque Central and it took until 1911 for the club to finally give up their ground at Camino Cibils. At the same time, they completely renovated the facilities of Gran Parque Central.

In 1918, Abdón Porte shot himself in the center of the pitch of the stadium after his exclusion from the club's first team was hard to accept.

The stadium was rebuilt after a fire caused destruction in 1923. Until 1930, the stadium was Uruguay's primary football stadium.

The six group matches at the 1930 World Cup were held at Estadio Gran Parque Central. These matches had not been planned, but heavy rains delayed the completion of Estadio Centenario.

In 1995, the government decided to renovate the stadium. A new stadium was built in 1944, but little changed was made in subsequent decades and Nacional increasingly used Estadio Centenario for their home matches. In 1995, the government decided to renovate the stadium.

In 2003, the club announced a major renovation program that would take two years to complete. Two years later, an upgraded Gran Parque Central reopened with a friendly between Nacional and Paraguayan side Olimpo.

Construction of extra tiers on top of the stands behind both goals continued in 2009. These were completed in the summer of 2012, following which two out of four corners of the stadium were filled up.

In 2015, plans were presented for the expansion of the stadium. Phase one, an extra tier behind one of the goals and extra rows of box seats on one of the sides, was completed in 2020. The second phase, an extra tier on top of the other stand behind the goal, will follow in the next years, after which capacity will be raised to 40,000 people.

(photos of the present Estadio Gran Parque Central below)

How to get to Estadio Gran Parque Central

The Estadio Gran Parque Central is located in central Montevideo, near the north-east corner of the city. The stadium is close to Estadio Centenario, as well as the main Tres Cruces bus terminal.

Take any of the above buses from Av. 18 de Julio (just after Plaza Independencia). The buses follow Montevideo's main avenue and then take a slight turn left onto the Av. 8 de Octubre. Get off at the corner of Av 8 de Octubre and Jaime Cibils.

Address: Carlos Anaya 2900, La Blanqueada, Montevideo

Nacional Tickets

Tickets for Nacional matches can be purchased online or at one of the Redpagos sales points, which there are many across the city. Tickets can often be bought at the ticket windows on the day of the match.

Tickets tend to range in price from UR$600.00 to UR$1,800.00.

Photos of Estadio Gran Parque Central

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Useful Internet links

The national website of Club Nacional de Fútbol and Montevideo's public transport planner are both great resources for travelers visiting Uruguay.