Estadio Garcilaso Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Estadio Garcilaso
Construction
Estadio Inca Garcilaso

Full name	Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Location	Cusco, Peru
Owner	Instituto Peruano del Deporte
Operator	Gobierno Regional Cusco
Capacity	45,056 34,500 (international)
Field size	105 x 68 m
Surface	Grass
Built	1958
Opened	1958
Renovated	2004
Expanded	2004
Tenants
Cienciano (Liga 1) (1950–present) Garcilaso (Liga 1) (1957–present) Cusco FC (Liga 1) (2009–present) Peru national football team (selected matches)

Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, usually known as Estadio Garcilaso, is the main sports stadium in Cusco, Peru. It's a super important place for football fans! This stadium is the home field for the local football team, Cienciano. It's also where two other big teams, Deportivo Garcilaso and Cusco FC, play their games. All these teams compete in Peru's top football league, the Peruvian Primera División.

The stadium is named after Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, a famous Peruvian writer. It first opened its doors in 1958. Back then, it could hold about 30,000 people. Today, the stadium can welcome up to 45,056 fans! The Instituto Peruano del Deporte, which is like Peru's sports institute, owns this amazing stadium.

Stadium History: How It Grew
Copa América 2004 Match
See also

Stadium History: How It Grew

Building the Stadium

The Estadio Garcilaso was first built in 1958. When it first opened, it had space for 22,000 spectators. Over the years, it became a key spot for sports in Cusco.

Big Changes for Copa América 2004

In 2004, the stadium got a huge upgrade! This happened because Peru was chosen to host the Copa América 2004, a major football tournament. The Peruvian government spent a lot of money to make stadiums better, and Estadio Garcilaso was one of them.

The renovation cost about $1.72 million. This project increased the stadium's official capacity to 42,056 seats. Because Cusco is very high up in the mountains, the stadium only hosted one game during the tournament. This was the match for third place between the teams from Colombia and Uruguay. Uruguay won that exciting game. Hosting this event brought even more visitors to Cusco, which is already a top tourist spot in Peru!

Modern Updates and Future Plans

In 2013, there were plans for another big renovation. The idea was to increase the capacity to 50,000 seats. They also wanted to add sun shades and cover the support structures. This project was expected to cost 52 million soles.

However, due to budget issues, the full plan couldn't happen. Instead, the stadium received other important updates. It got a new entrance, some special luxury boxes, and new seating. The outside of the stadium was also made to look cleaner and more modern. Today, Estadio Garcilaso is the third largest stadium in all of Peru!