Estadio Gran Parque Central, Football stadium in La Blanqueada, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Estadio Gran Parque Central is Club Nacional de Football's ground on Carlos Anaya street in La Blanqueada, Montevideo, with a capacity of 37,000 seated spectators. Its four stands are named after club figures: José María Delgado (north), Atilio García (south), Abdón Porte (west) and Héctor Scarone (east). The pitch runs east-west, ringed by a low barrier with advertising boards and backed by tiered grandstands under a flat roof, with floodlight banks on poles above.
The first match of the inaugural football World Cup took place here in July 1930, when the United States beat Belgium 3-0. Since then it has remained home to Club Nacional de Football and has been rebuilt several times to meet growing demands.
The ground stands on the former Quinta de la Paraguaya, where José Gervasio Artigas was named Jefe de los Orientales in 1811; a plaque at the Nacional headquarters entrance and a small square by the José María Delgado stand mark this. The four stands are named after club figures: Delgado, Atilio García, Abdón Porte and Héctor Scarone.
Access is through several entrances on Carlos Anaya, Jaime Cibils, General Urquiza, and Comandante Braga streets. On match days it is wise to arrive early, as the area becomes busy quickly and parking is limited.
This ground is the oldest still-used football stadium on the American continent and hosted sporting events as early as March 1900. Long before major international tournaments arrived here, local teams were already playing in front of crowds.
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