Design & Development

Estadio do Pacaembu reopens following renovation

Featured image credit: City of São Paulo

São Paulo’s Estádio do Pacaembu reopened on Saturday as it hosted the final of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup.

The renovated stadium, officially known as the Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu, was officially handed over to the City of São Paulo following a three-and-a-half-year modernisation project.

Mayor Ricardo Nunes announced that the sports complex will open to the general public today (Monday). Locals will have access to a multi-purpose gym, two tennis courts, a walking track and a new athletics track, which can be reserved through the official stadium app.

Saturday’s match saw São Paulo’s youth team defeat Corinthians 3-1. The ‘Copinha’ is organised by the São Paulo Football Federation and the match went ahead despite earlier reports claiming that the venue did not have a permit from the city to stage the event.

Earlier this month, third-tier club Portuguesa struck a deal to play home matches at the Pacaembu while its own venue, Estádio do Canindé, undergoes renovation work.

Portuguesa’s first home match at the Pacaembu will be against São Paulo on Wednesday. The stadium is also set to host home matches played by Santos, São Paulo and Cruzeiro.

The opening match at the new-look stadium went ahead successfully, but São Paulo president Julio Casares expressed concerns over the artificial pitch.

Mayor Nunes said: “It’s a beautiful celebration, especially on the day of São Paulo’s 471st anniversary. I was helping to award the players and I heard a lot of compliments about the field and the locker room. The fans also approved. It’s very important to have testimonials from those who use the arena.

“And here we see a space that was unused, now being the stage, on the city’s anniversary, for a championship final, and we see it so beautiful. And on Monday it will be open to the public, who will be able to use the athletics track, the pool and the entire structure, which is of very high quality.”

The stadium is managed by Concessionária Allegra Pacaembu, which assumed the contract in January 2020 after being awarded a 35-year contract. Ecommerce company Mercado Livre acquired naming rights to the stadium last year in a deal that could reportedly be worth up to R$1bn (£135m/€161m/$169m), a record for a stadium sponsorship in Brazil.