May 14 – Conmebol has picked Montevideo and the historic Estadio Centenario as the venue for the 2021 final of both its flagship club competitions, the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sul-Americana.
In February, the Uruguayan capital hadn’t featured on the original short list of candidate host venues for this year’s club finals, but Uruguay leveraged its political influence to obtain 50,000 Covid-19 vaccines for the South American governing body, a move that no doubt pleased Conmebol with president Alexander Dominguez expressing his gratitude at the time for the vaccine delivery.
In Uruguay, more than 35% of the population has already received a first dose of the vaccine. The local government guaranteed that it can stage matches with fans in the stands in the future. In the end, it was a no-brainer for Conmebol to award Montevideo with the rights.
In a statement, Conmebol said: “The good health situation projected for November in Uruguay, a country that plans to vaccinate a high percentage of its population in July, was decisive for the decision in an exceptional year conditioned by the pandemic.”
“In addition, the finals will serve as a kind of relaunch of the Centenario stadium, within the framework of the South American bid for the 2030 World Cup. In effect, the Uruguayan Football Federation drew up an investment plan, with the goal of reaching 2030 with a radical renovation. With regard to hotel capacity and airport operations, Montevideo obtained a high rating.”
The Copa Libertadores final will be played on November 20, with the Copa Sul-Americana final scheduled two weeks earlier. The Centenario last hosted the Copa Libertadores final in 1988 when Uruguay’s Nacional won. It’s the 8th time the stadium will welcome the showpiece match.
Conmebol also awarded the 2022 Copa Libertadores final to Ecuador’ Monumental de Guayaquil Stadium and the 2022 Copa Sul-Americana final to Brasilia’s Mane Garrincha Stadium.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1734944351labto1734944351ofdlr1734944351owedi1734944351sni@o1734944351fni1734944351