No stadium in South America is bigger, and few anywhere are louder. The Estadio Más Monumental — historically the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, and forever “El Monumental” to Argentines — is the 85,018-seat home of Club Atlético River Plate and the Argentina national team in the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It hosted the 1978 World Cup final, four Copa América finals and countless Copa Libertadores deciders, and it earns its place among the largest stadiums in the world. A newly announced expansion aims to push it past 100,000 seats.
Key Stats
| Capacity | 85,018 (expansion to about 101,000 announced in 2026) |
| Opened | May 26, 1938 |
| Primary use | Football (River Plate, Argentina national team) |
| Location | Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Record attendance | 100,000 — River Plate 2–0 Racing, August 17, 1975 |
Built by the Millionaires
By the mid-1930s River Plate had earned the nickname Los Millonarios for its record-breaking transfer spending, and the club thought like millionaires when it bought land on the marshy, reclaimed coast of the Río de la Plata in 1934. Under architects José Aslan and Héctor Ezcurra, construction began in September 1936, backed by a government loan of 2.5 million pesos. The build consumed 26,000 square meters of reinforced concrete, nearly 3,000 tons of steel and 50 kilometers of terracing steps — though a funding shortfall forced the club to leave the north end unbuilt for decades. Roughly 70,000 people attended the inauguration on May 26, 1938, and the next evening River beat Uruguayan side Peñarol 3–1 in the first match.
1978 World Cup Final and Continental Glory
El Monumental was the main venue of the 1951 Pan American Games and the centerpiece of the 1978 FIFA World Cup, staging the final in which Argentina beat the Netherlands 3–1 in extra time to win its first world title — Mario Kempes carving through a blizzard of ticker tape. The stadium has also hosted four Copa América finals, most recently in 2011, plus a long roll call of Copa Libertadores finals. Its all-time attendance record predates modern all-seater rules: an estimated 100,000 saw River beat Racing 2–0 on August 17, 1975.
The Más Monumental Era
A sweeping 2020–2023 redevelopment removed the old athletics track, pulled new stands right up to the pitch and replaced the vintage wooden seats — 40,565 of which were set aside for sale to nostalgic fans. Reopened in 2023 with capacity ultimately reaching 85,018, the rebuilt bowl made El Monumental the largest stadium in South America, and River promptly averaged 83,812 fans in its first league season back. Supermarket chain ChangoMás bought naming rights in 2022, giving the ground its current commercial name. In January 2026 the club announced the next phase: an expansion project intended to lift capacity to roughly 101,000, which would rank it among the ten biggest stadiums on Earth.
FAQ
Is the Estadio Más Monumental the biggest stadium in South America?
Yes — at 85,018 seats it is the largest stadium in both Argentina and South America, and it features on our ranking of the world’s largest stadiums. The announced expansion to around 101,000 would push it even higher.
Who plays at the Monumental?
It is the home of Club Atlético River Plate and the preferred home of the Argentina national team, which played its qualifiers and celebrated its 2022 World Cup title with fans here.
Did the Monumental host a World Cup final?
Yes. On June 25, 1978, Argentina defeated the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final of the 1978 FIFA World Cup, giving the host nation its first world championship.
Photo: Vincenzo.togni via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)