History and description

The Estadio Defensores del Chaco is the home of the Paraguayan national football team. The stadium is owned by the Paraguayan football association and is used primarily for football matches. The President of the Argentine Football Association, Enrique L. Pinho, has proposed the construction of an Estadio Defensores del Chaco in order to meet the needs of football fans in the country. He believes that the existing stadiums from the early 20th century are not up to date enough to meet the demand for football.

The stadium has been home to various clubs including Olimpia, Lanus and Racing. The current capacity is 54,000. Construction of the stadium began in 1915 and was completed two years later. It officially opened on 4 November 1917 with the league final between Olimpia and Libertad (0-1). The stadium is currently home to various clubs including Olimpia, Lanus and Racing. The stadium's current capacity is 54,000 people.

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

The stadium continued to be expanded in 1925 but severely 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 be rebuilt.

Following Paraguay's victory in the Copa America in 1953, new funding arrived for a large redevelopment of the stadium, which gave it its present shape. The stadium was named in 1972 in honour of the soldiers that died during the Chaco War.

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

Over the last few years, renovations and safety requirements have caused the capacity of the stadium to be reduced to approximately 32,000 seats.

The Estadio Defensores del Chaco is a venue regularly used for high-profile Copa Libertadores matches of the Asunción clubs as well as for the local derbies.

How to get to Estadio Defensores del Chaco

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

The walk from the city centre takes about 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