The Alejandro Villanueva Stadium, popularly known as Matute, is a soccer stadium located in the Matute neighborhood of the La Victoria district in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. The venue is owned by Club Alianza Lima, and it is here that the club plays at home in the Peruvian Liga 1 and in international tournaments such as the

Conmebol Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in Sou ...

or the Conmebol Sudamericana. The stadium was registered as one of the alternate venues of the Peruvian Soccer Team for the South American qualifiers prior to the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

and was also considered as a possible venue for the Lima 2019

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

. Currently, the Blue and Whites Fund, a group of investors managed by the club, is considering development of an ambitious project for the expansion and total modernization of the stadium. This would include the 4 tribunes, playing field, underlying buildings, alternate court, Villa Intima and surroundings of the enclosure. The expansion is expected to provide Alejandro Villanueva with a capacity of 60,000 spectators.

History

On April 11, 1965, it was announced at a press conference by Walter Lavalleja that a stadium was to be built in Lima for the club Alianza Lima. This was made possible by the president at that time,

Manuel Odria Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

, who donated a piece of land for the construction of the stadium. On May 30, 1969, the first phase of the project began. The stadium was inaugurated with the "Señor de Los Milagros" tournament featuring

Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, popularly known as Alianza Lima or simply Alianza, is a Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. It is widely known for having one of the most historical and successful football teams i ...

, city rivals

Universitario de Deportes Club Universitario de Deportes, popularly known as Universitario or simply as La "U", is a Peruvian football club located in Lima. The club was founded in 1924 under the name Federación Universitaria by students of the National University of S ...

Nacional Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to: Airlines * Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002 * Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961 Bank * Banco Nacional, a ...

of Uruguay, and Independiente of Argentina. The stadium opened on December 27, 1974, to 55,000 spectators with Alianza Lima drawing 2–2 with Nacional. The stadium has carried the club name since its opening. However, in 2000, with Alianza Lima's centennial anniversary approaching, the club rechristened the stadium name to Estadio

Alejandro Villanueva Carlos Alejandro Villanueva Martínez (4 June 1908 – 11 April 1944) was a Peruvian association football, footballer who played for Alianza Lima and the Peru national football team. He is considered one of the most important Alianza strikers i ...

in honor one of one their most important players. 2006ALCC

References

{{Torneo Descentralizado stadiums Alianza Lima Sports venues in Lima Football venues in Lima