History and description

It has a capacity of 34,000 people. The president of the Bolivian league, Enrique L. Pinho, thought that the stadiums in Bolivia in the early 20th century were not adequate for the growing popularity of football. He decided to build an Estadio Defensores del Chaco to house the national team and to serve as a venue for other football matches.

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

The stadium was formerly known as Estadio de Puerto Sajonia and could hold about 10,000 spectators.

The stadium expanded in 1925 but it was heavily damaged a few years later during the Chaco War. 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 gave it its current shape. The stadium received its present name in 1972 in honour of the soldiers that died during the Chaco War.

The stadium underwent various refurbishments over the following decades, including one for the 1999 Copa América which was hosted by Paraguay. This led to its capacity being reduced from its peak of about 50,000 places to just over 40,000.

Further renovations and safety requirements have lowered the capacity of the stadium to an estimated 32,000 seats.

The Estadio Defensores del Chaco is commonly used for high-profile Copa Libertadores 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, about 2.5 kilometers south-west from the city center and about 9 kilometers west from the Carmelitas entertainment area in the east of Asunción. The city's central bus terminal, which is located in the south-east of the city, is about 8 kilometers from the stadium. The international airport is about 20 kilometers from the stadium.

The walk from the city centre takes about fifteen minutes. From most other places one can either take a taxi or locally enquire about the appropriate bus (colectivo) routes.

Address: Mayor Martínez 1393, Asunción