Defensores del Chaco

Estadio Defensores del Chaco

The stadium during a match between Olimpia Asunción and 3 de Febrero in 2011.
Location	Asunción Paraguay
Owner	The local council of Asunción
Capacity	38.000, seated
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	1917
Renovated	2000, 2015
Tenants
Paraguay national football team, Club Nacional, Club Guaraní, Club Olimpia (1917-Present)

Estadio Defensores del Chaco is a multi-purpose stadium in Asunción, Paraguay. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium once had a 50,000+ capacity, however over the years the stadium has undergone remodeling, dropping the capacity to 38.000. The stadium was again renovated in 2015.

The stadium was opened in 1917 and its first name was "Estadio de Puerto Sajonia" because it was located in the Sajonia neighbourhood in Asunción. After Uruguay won the Olympic gold medal in football in 1924, the Paraguayan Football Association decided to rename the stadium "Uruguay" to honor the South American Nation. Later, the name was reverted to Estadio Puerto Sajonia.

During the Chaco War, the stadium was used as a munitions depot and troop meeting arena. After the war, it was renamed with the current name "Defensores del Chaco" (Defenders of the Chaco) in honour of the triumphant soldiers that took part in the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia. It underwent renovations during 1939, 1996 and 2007.

The stadium is not owned by a team (it is a national stadium) and it is used primarily to host the home games of the Paraguay national football team and for international football club tournament games such as the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. It also held important matches during the 1999 Copa América, including the final in which Brazil defeated Uruguay.

The Paraguay national football team plays their home fixtures at the stadium during FIFA World Cup qualifiers and international friendlies.