The inaugural game of the new peñarol stadium estadio campeon del siglo (champion of the century) will take place tonight in a friendly game against River Plate of Argentina.

Source: Peñarol Facebook page

The move away from the iconic Estadio Centenario represents a significant milestone in the history of the Montevideo club. Not only did they win 5 Copa Libertadores titles in the Centenario but they have been playing their home games in the legendary stadium for well over 80 years. The new stadium is almost a third smaller in size, holding 40,000 spectators and follows trends globally toward a more confined stadium with the stands a lot closer to the field of play.

The Centenario became synonymous with spectacular recibimientos (player entrances) and it will be exciting to see if the fans can recreate this in a stadium that in theory should cater itself more toward an emotive atmosphere. Tonight’s game promises to be a celebration with most of the excitement coming off the field and from the supporters although both teams will field strong line ups. The opening of a new stadium in South America is a rare event and the occasion promises to be a wall of noise and yellow and black colours.

Even more attention will be on the terraces as leaders of Boca Junior’s Barra Brava (ultra) group will be in attendance having be invited by their peñarol counterparts.