A Month Before the Libertadores Final, the Centenario Awaits That Match
The Centenario Stadium in Montevideo will crown a new Copa Libertadores champion on November 28
The Centenario Stadium in Montevideo will crown a new Copa Libertadores champion on November 28, extending its legacy as the venue that has hosted the most finals in the tournament's history. Argentina's Estudiantes de La Plata and Brazil's Palmeiras will go head-to-head for the title before the Monument to World Football begins renovations to host the 2030 World Cup.
It will not be the first time these teams have met at this stage, nor the first time they have done so at a venue where both know what it feels like to celebrate.
The 1968 final pitted Estudiantes against Palmeiras across 180 minutes that produced a 2-1 win for the Argentines in La Plata and a 3-1 victory for the Brazilians in São Paulo.
That result forced a third match, and the chosen stage was the Centenario in Montevideo. There, Estudiantes won 2-0 thanks to a goal from Felipe Ribaudo and one from the historic Juan Ramón Verón.
Palmeiras have also celebrated at that venue: on November 27, 2021, they beat Flamengo 2-1 in the final of a new edition of the Copa Libertadores.
The side coached by Abel Ferreira won thanks to goals from Raphel Veiga in regulation time and Deyverson in extra time.
Five years later, the Portuguese coach will repeat with the Verdao. Captain Gustavo Gómez and Uruguay's Joaquín Piquerez will also be back, while Andreas Pereira will defend that team after having played that match for Flamengo.
From Pope Leo XIV to the 2030 World Cup Renovation
Beyond the continent's anticipation for the Estudiantes-Palmeiras match, the Centenario Stadium will first take on another mission: hosting Pope Leo XIV.
During his visit to Uruguay from Friday, November 6, to Sunday, November 8, the pontiff will celebrate Mass at the same venue where John Paul II did so in 1988.
It will take place on Saturday, November 7, in the afternoon, before a Centenario that promises to be packed after tickets sold out in just two hours.
With these two events, the Centenario will begin to wind down its activity this year and make way for 2027, when it will begin renovations to host the next World Cup.
That tournament will take place one hundred years after the Uruguayan capital witnessed the first one, played in 1930 and for which the Centenario Stadium was built.
The Renovation and Ignacio Alonso's Vision
Speaking to Agencia EFE, the president of the Uruguayan Football Association, Ignacio Alonso, noted that Estudiantes-Palmeiras will be the last major football event before the stadium closes for remodeling.
He added that work will most likely begin in the second half of next year.
"The stadium will be left with a line that respects tradition, and the biggest change will be in the functional area of the América stand, which is the one that will undergo the modification that modern times require," Alonso said, adding that the venue is expected to become an activities center and not just a place to play football. EFE
