Would you like to find out more about the biggest football stadiums in South America? As you are probably aware, people in this part of the world are big fans of football and this is the main reason why some of the largest stadiums on our planet can be found there.

Both national football teams and regular football clubs that use the biggest football stadiums are taking advantage of the home ground. It’s one thing to play away in a different city and at home in front of thousands of happy fans that support you.

Even though South America is home to dozens of football stadiums, there is a limited number of venues that can host over 30,000 fans. With the help of our list, you will learn more about the 11 biggest football stadiums in South America.

• Discover the history of these large stadiums
• Learn more about the capacity of these venues
• Get familiar with the basic facts

The list that we have created contains football stadiums with huge dimensions settled in different countries in South America. Most of them are known globally, but others are not that popular. Despite these facts, it’s still an interesting thing to learn more about them.

Now let’s check the biggest football venues on this continent (in no particular order)!

1. Estadio do Arruda

City/Country: Recife, Brazil
Capacity: 60,044
Owner: Santa Cruz Futebol Clube
Opened: 1972
Tenants: Santa Cruz Futebol Clube
Designed by: a team of architects

Estadio do Arruda, officially called Estadio Jose do Rego Macial, is not strictly a football stadium. In other words, there are other events than football matches that are held here from time to time, but most of the time it’s used for football events.

With a capacity of over 60,000, this is one of the biggest stadiums in South America. It’s good to mention that the stadium capacity has been reduced due to safety concerns and the record attendance before that was 90,200. Today, this stadium is used by Santa Cruz Futebol Clube of Brazil.

Santa Cruz has two important rivals that come from the same city – Nautico and Sport Recife, but it seems that they are the most popular club in the city. If you are planning on betting on this team, you should know that it is part of Campeonato Pernambucano where it has an almost perfect score when it comes to home matches.

• This stadium is officially known as Estadio Jose do Rego Macial
• It’s home to Santa Cruz FC
• This is one of the rare stadiums in South America with a capacity of over 60,000

2. Mineirao

City/Country: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Capacity: 64,000
Owner: State of Minas Gerais
Opened: 1965
Tenants: Cruzeiro, Atletico Mineiro
Designed by: a team of architects

It seems that most of the biggest stadiums in Brazil have nicknames. So, Mineirao is actually officially known as Estadio Governador Magalhaes Pinto. This is the biggest stadium in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.

It was opened in 1965 and since then it has hosted many important matches including a few matches of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The record attendance at this stadium is over 132,000 spectators, but after that, the capacity was reduced.

The most important club that plays its matches here is Cruzeiro Esporte Clube. This is one of the most popular Brazilian football clubs and sports brands. Cruzeiro is now part of the Brasileiro Serie B and the state league.

They have a few titles in Copa do Brasil, Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A and two Copa Libertadores titles. In the recent period this team is facing a crisis and it might be a good idea to avoid betting on this team, but betting against it (even at home) might be a good idea.

• The largest stadium in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais
• The home ground of Cruzeiro
• Cruzeiro is not playing very well in the last couple of years

3. Estadio Centenario

City/Country: Montevideo, Uruguay
Capacity: 60,235
Owner: Montevideo Departmental Government
Opened: 1930
Tenants: Uruguay national football team
Designed by: Diego Alberto Scasso

Estadio Centenario is not only one of the biggest stadiums in South America, but it’s also one of the places that deserve to be called “temples of football”. There’s a lot of history at this stadium that was opened back in 1930. It was built to host the first FIFA World Cup.

Back then, the record attendance was almost 80,000, but not the venue has a capacity of over 60,000 spectators. Since 1930, Estadio Centenario in Montevideo is used as a home ground of the Uruguay national football team.

They had some very good results here although they have witnessed a few losses too. In any case, if you are planning on betting on a game played at this stadium, you should know that it’s very difficult for Uruguay to lose at home.

• An iconic stadium built for the first FIFA World Cup
• It had a larger capacity in the 1930s
• Uruguay national football team uses this stadium as a home ground

4. Estadio Universidad San Marcos

City/Country: Lima, Peru
Capacity: 70,000
Owner: Universidad San Marcos
Opened: 1951
Tenants: Club Universitario de Deportes (alternate stadium)
Designed by: a team of architects

It’s very rare to find a stadium owned by a university on the list of biggest stadiums in South America. Yet, that’s the case with Estadio Universidad San Marcos. It has a seating capacity of over 70,000, but what’s odd is that it doesn’t have a permanent tenant.

Club Universitario de Deportes uses it as an alternate stadium and a few other football clubs use it when they can’t use their own venues for different reasons. Another thing that we should mention is that this stadium was opened in 1951 and renovated in 1993.

Without any doubt, betting is easy when you are backing U. de Deportes at home. But, don’t forget that this Peruvian club uses another stadium as its home venue and rarely uses this one. So, if you want to place bets on this team (and stadium) check this information.

• The second biggest stadium in Peru
• It’s owned by the state university
• It’s used as an alternate stadium by the most successful football club in Peru

5. Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha

City/Country: Brasilia, Brazil
Capacity: 72,788
Owner: Agencia de Desenvolvimento do Distrito Federal
Opened: 1974
Tenants: Brasilia FC, Capital FC, Legiao FC
Designed by: Icaro de Castro Mello

It makes sense that the capital of Brazil has one of the biggest football stadiums in South America, right? Estadio Nacional de Brasilia Mane Garrincha was named in honor of one of the most successful Brazilian footballers.

It was opened in 1974 and renovated in 2013. This was one of the stadiums that were part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. The construction cost was around 600 million Euros.

There are three teams that use this stadium today and truth to be told, none of them has an impressive record. Yet, Brasilia FC is worth mentioning because it’s the oldest among them and the only one that won Campeonato Brasiliense eight times.

If you take a close look at their home record in the recent period, you will notice that they play quite bad at home which means that you should be looking at other betting options like over/under goals for instance.

• This stadium is situated in the capital city of Brazil
• It was opened in 1974 and renovated in 2013
• It’s used by three Brazilian football clubs

6. Estadio Monumental “U”

City/Country: Lima, Peru
Capacity: 85,000
Owner: Gremco Universitario de Deportes
Opened: 2000
Tenants: Universitario de Deportes
Designed by: Walter Lavalleja Sarries

Estadio Monumental “U” is the biggest football stadium in South America according to many experts. It has a capacity of 85,000 and it’s located in the Ate district in the capital city of Peru.

In the past, it was used by the Peru national football team from time to time, but today, it’s used almost exclusively by Club Universitario de Deportes. The club has built this stadium as a replacement for the Estadio Teodoro Lolo Fernandez.

Betting on the only tenant of this stadium is usually not a difficult task. In most cases, U. de Deportes will win the matches that they play at home although some of them end in draws. This team usually never losses its home matches, but remember that anything is possible when it comes to football. Playing on under or over goals is also an option.

• The biggest football stadium in South America
• Home to Universitario de Deportes
• It was used by the Peru national football team in the past

7. Estadio Governador Placido Castelo

City/Country: Fortaleza, Brazil
Capacity: 63,903
Owner: State of Ceara
Opened: 1973
Tenants: Fortaleza, Ceara
Designed by: a team of architects

Officially, it’s known as the Estadio Governador Placido Castelo, but most people call it Castelao or Gigante da Boa Vista. The stadium was opened in 1972, but it went through a major renovation process that lasted between 2002 and 2012.

It served as one of the stadiums where the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup were held. A few big concerts were held at this stadium too. As one of the biggest stadiums on the continent, Castelao is used by two Brazilian teams – Fortaleza and Ceara.

Both of them are competing at the Brazilian Serie A. However, in the last few seasons, they are teams that usually end up in the middle of the table. Betting on these teams even when they are playing at home can be risky and that’s why it’s highly recommended to be cautious.

• A stadium located in Fortaleza, Brazil
• It’s used by Fortaleza and Ceara
• This stadium is used for concerts and other events too

8. Estadio do Morumbi

City/Country: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Capacity: 67,052
Owner: Sao Paulo FC
Opened: 1960
Tenants: Sao Paulo FC
Designed by: Joao Batista Vilanova Artigas

If you are a fan of football then you have probably heard about Sao Paulo, a professional football club from Brazil. This is one of the most successful teams in South America. Obviously, it owns one of the biggest football stadiums on the continent too (capacity of over 67,000 spectators).

When it comes to important matches, Morumbi hosted three matches that were part of the 2019 Copa America. There were dozens of concerts held here too. As one of the most famous Brazilian clubs with a rich history, Sao Paulo has managed to develop a few rivalries with other teams including Corinthians, Santos, and Palmeiras.

Betting on these matches can be quite risky, but betting on matches where Sao Paulo is playing against other teams is usually a “sure bet” (keep in mind that there’s no such thing as a completely sure bet). We should also highlight the fact that this team has won 12 international titles.

• Estadio do Morumbi is owned and used by Sao Paulo FC
• This is one of the best Brazilian football clubs
• The stadium has a capacity of over 67,000

9. Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti

City/Country: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Capacity: 70,074
Owner: River Plate
Opened: 1938
Tenants: River Plate, Argentina national football team
Designed by: Jose Aslan, Hector Ezcurra

It’s quite natural for Argentina to have a representative on the list of the biggest football stadiums in South America. This is a country where the vast majority of people are passionate about football.

Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, or simply Estadio Monumental, is the largest stadium in this country. It has a very long history which is why spectators had chances to attend many interesting events there including the 1978 FIFA World Cup, four Copa America finals, the 1951 Pan American Games and more.

Of course, the matches where River Plate plays are something special too. In the past, when this stadium was not covered in seats completely, the crowd could reach over 100,000 people. River Plate is the most successful club in Argentina with over 30 championship titles.

However, they have not won a title since 2014, so you might want to analyze things a few times before betting on this team even when they are playing at Estadio Monumental.

• This is the biggest stadium in Argentina
• It’s owned and operated by River Plate
• River Plate is the most successful Argentinean club

10. Maracana Stadium

City/Country: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Capacity: 78,838
Owner: Rio de Janeiro State Government
Opened: 1950
Tenants: Fluminense FC, CR Flamengo, Brazil national football team
Designed by: a team of architects

Here’s another example of an iconic sporting venue, this time located in Brazil. The Maracana stadium was the biggest football stadium in the world for many years, but after a few renovations, its capacity was reduced to around 78,000 spectators.

Of course, this still makes this stadium one of the largest in the world. What’s interesting is that Maracana has hosted over 100,000 fans 284 times. There’s no venue of this kind in the world that can beat that number. It’s also good to know that the Maracana Stadium was built for the 1950 FIFA World Cup.

Nowadays, there are two football clubs from Brazil (Flamengo and Fluminense) as well as the Brazil national football team that uses this stadium. Needless to say, Brazil is a good betting option whenever they play here, but we can say the same for Fluminense and Flamengo, two teams that have many titles and achievements both at home and abroad.

• Maracana is one of the most famous football stadiums in the world
• There were over 200,000 fans on the stands when Brazil played against Uruguay in 1950
• Brazil national football team, Fluminense and Flamengo use this stadium as a home ground

11. Arena do Gremio

City/Country: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Capacity: 55,662
Owner: Gremio Football Porto Alegrense
Opened: 2012
Tenants: Gremio FBPA, Brazil national football team
Designed by: PLARQ Arquitetura

Arena do Gremio is the newest venue on the list of biggest football stadiums in South America. This arena was opened in 2012. In most cases, it’s used for football matches, but popular singers and bands had performed here including Pearl Jam, Coldplay and Iron Maiden.

The 2019 Copa America, the 2016 Brazilian Cup Final, the 2012 Match Against Poverty are some other important events played here. As for Gremio, the home team at this stadium, it’s good to know that they are playing in Brazil Serie A and they are usually among the best teams in the league.

One of the reasons for that is the excellent home record. In the recent period, Gremio plays open football which means that fans can expect more goals. This is useful information for those planning on betting on Gremio.

• Arena do Gremio is one of the newest stadiums on the list
• It is used by Gremio Foot-Ball proto Alegrense, a Brazil Serie A team
• The stadium has a capacity of over 55,000 spectators