Paraguay's Olimpia unveil World Cup stadium plans
Asuncion, July 9
Paraguayan football club Olimpia has unveiled plans for a new 46,000-seat stadium that is expected to host one of the opening matches of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The venue in Asuncion is slated to be completed in the second half of 2029 at a cost of 80 million U.S. dollars, the club said in a statement on its official website.
It will be named Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb Stadium in honour of the club's former president and the father of Alejandro Dominguez, the president of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
Structural foundation work is scheduled to begin later this month. Olimpia said the project would include engineers involved in the redevelopment of Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium for the 2014 World Cup, reports Xinhua.
Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina are each expected to host one World Cup match to mark the tournament's 100th anniversary. The remaining matches will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Morocco, Portugal and Spain were appointed as the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2030, with three centenary celebration matches to be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay (one in each country). The appointment by acclamation of the hosts of the 2030 edition of the FIFA World Cup concludes a thorough bidding process initiated in October 2023 following the unanimous proposal made by the FIFA Council and supported by all confederations.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Fascinating how they're naming it after the former president's father—very much like our own Tendulkar or Nehru stadiums. But 80 million dollars seems a lot for Paraguay. Hope the local fans get affordable tickets, not like the VIP culture we see in some Indian stadiums.
Impressive planning, but I wonder if the 2029 completion date is realistic—especially with inflation and supply chain issues. India's ISL clubs could take notes on transparency here. We rarely see such detailed cost breakdowns for our own stadium projects.
Oh, what I wouldn't give to see Lionel Messi or Vinicius Jr play in a new Maracana-style stadium in Paraguay! 🇵🇾🔥 India should push for a joint bid with SAARC nations for 2034 or 2038. Imagine stadiums in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore hosting World Cup games—dream come true! 🇮🇳⚽
It's interesting that the match distribution is so uneven—only one match each for these three South American nations vs. the rest in Europe/Africa. As a fan, I'd love to see the centenary truly spread across more countries, like how India has diverse football cultures across Bengal, Goa, and Kerala.
Respectfully, I think this shows FIFA's political nature—South America gets only symbolic matches while the big money goes to Europe. Reminds me of how the ICC treats associate nations. That said, Paraguay's passion for football is unmatched. Wish we had that grassroots culture here.
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