Arena da Baixada facts for kids
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| Full name | Estádio Mario Celso Petraglia |
|---|---|
| Former names | Estádio Joaquim Américo Guimarães (1997–2005; 2008–2023) Kyocera Arena (2005–2008) Ligga Arena (2023–2025) |
| Location | Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil |
| Coordinates | 25°26′54″S 49°16′37″W / 25.44833°S 49.27694°W |
| Owner | Club Athletico Paranaense |
| Operator | G3 United |
| Capacity | 42,372 |
| Record attendance | Non-football: 45,925 (religious event, 27 July 2019) Football: 42,177 (Athletico Paranaense vs. Atlético Goianiense, 20 November 2024) |
| Field size | 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft) |
| Surface | Artificial grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | December 1, 1997 |
| Opened | June 24, 1999 |
| Renovated | 2009, 2012–2014 |
| Tenants | |
| Athletico Paranaense | |
The Estádio Mario Celso Petraglia, also known as Arena da Baixada, is a famous stadium in Curitiba, Brazil. It's in the state of Paraná. This stadium is the home field for the Athletico Paranaense football team. It can hold up to 42,372 fans!
It was the first stadium in Brazil to sell its name to a company. It was called Kyocera Arena from 2005 to 2008. More recently, it was known as Ligga Arena from June 2023 to August 2025. This stadium was also the first in South America to have a roof that can open and close.
Curitiba was chosen to host games for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Because of this, the stadium was rebuilt between 2012 and 2014. Its seating capacity was made larger to fit 42,372 people.
The stadium is located in the Água Verde area of Curitiba. Its story began a long time ago, in 1914. Joaquim Américo Guimarães, who was president of a team called International, helped build the first version of the Arena da Baixada. Ten years later, the Athletico team took over the stadium.
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The Story of Arena da Baixada
The stadium was built where a Brazilian Army powder storage used to be. In 1934, it was named Estádio Joaquim Américo Guimarães. The stadium got its first floodlights in 1980, which are big lights for night games.
From 1986 to 1994, the stadium was closed. During this time, Athletico Paranaense played their games at another stadium called Estadio Pinheirão. The old stadium building was taken down on March 26, 1997. This happened after plans for a brand new arena were announced. The new stadium was finished and opened in June 1999.
In 2005, the stadium was renamed Kyocera Arena. This was because a Japanese company called Kyocera bought the right to name the stadium. The agreement with Kyocera ended in early 2008. Since it wasn't renewed, the stadium went back to its old name, Arena da Baixada.
In February 2024, the stadium was renamed Estádio Mario Celso Petraglia. This was done to honor its long-serving president.
First Games and Records
The very first game in the old stadium was on September 6, 1914. Flamengo played against Internacional and won 7–1. The first goal ever scored in the stadium was by Flamengo's Arnaldo.
The first game in the new stadium was on June 24, 1999. Athletico Paranaense played against Cerro Porteño from Paraguay and won 2–1. The first goal after the stadium reopened was scored by Athletico's Lucas Severino.
The record for the most people at a football game is 40,263. This happened on December 12, 2018. Athletico Paranaense played against Atletico Junior in the 2018 Copa Sudamericana Final. Athletico won after a penalty shootout.
The record for a non-football event was on July 27, 2019. A religious event called "Semana de Avivamento" had 45,925 people attend.
Hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup
After its renovation in 1999, many experts thought the Estádio Joaquim Américo was one of Brazil's best stadiums. It was chosen to host games for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
To get ready for the World Cup, the stadium had more renovation work from 2012 to 2014. These changes improved the facilities and added more seats near the field. The stadium's capacity grew to 42,000 seats. This allowed it to host four World Cup matches.
Building the stadium wasn't always easy. Work was stopped in October 2013 because of safety problems. A judge ordered the halt due to "countless infractions." Because of this, the plan for a retractable roof was canceled for the World Cup. However, construction for the roof started again in late 2014. When it was finished in March 2015, Arena da Baixada became the first stadium in South America with a roof that could open and close.
The renovated stadium officially opened on May 14, 2014. A friendly match was played between Athletico and Corinthians Paulista. Corinthians won 2–1 in front of 30,000 people. Athletico's Marcelo Cirino scored the first goal.
The first World Cup match at the stadium was on June 16, 2014. Iran played against Nigeria, and the game ended in a 0–0 tie.
World Cup Matches Played Here
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| Date | Time (UTC-03) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 16, 2014 | 16:00 |  Iran |
0–0 |  Nigeria |
Group F | 39,081 |
| June 20, 2014 | 19:00 |  Honduras |
1–2 |  Ecuador |
Group E | 39,224 |
| June 23, 2014 | 13:00 |  Australia |
0–3 |  Spain |
Group B | 39,375 |
| June 26, 2014 | 17:00 |  Algeria |
1–1 |  Russia |
Group H | 39,311 |
Other Big Events at the Arena
UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic
The Arena da Baixada hosted its first UFC event in Curitiba. It was the fourth stadium in the world and the first in Brazil to host a UFC fight. A huge crowd of 45,207 fans attended, which was the third-largest crowd in UFC history at the time. Two fighters from Curitiba, Cris Cyborg and Shogun Rua, won their fights at this event.
2017 FIVB Volleyball World League
In 2017, the stadium also hosted the final games of the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World League. Many exciting volleyball matches took place here.
See also
In Spanish: Estadio Mário Celso Petraglia para niños
