Key facts
Club: Racing Club | Opening: 1950 | Capacity: 50,000
History and description
Estadio Juan Domingo Presidente Perón, often referred to as El Cilindro, was built between 1947 and 1950.
Estadio Presidente Peron replaced Racing’s old ground at the same site, and was made possible by a loan of the Argentine government. In return for his support, then Argentine president Péron was made honorary president, his wife Evita honorary member, and the stadium was named in his honour.
El Cilindro officially opened on 3 September 1950 with a league match between Racing and Velez Sarsfield (1-0).
The stadium could initially hold about 100,000 fans, however this number was regularly passed as many fans entered illegally. For example, an estimated 115,000 people were witness of Racing beating Celtic in the second leg of the 1967 Intercontinental Cup final.
El Cilindro underwent a large redevelopment between 1995 and 1997, which included the construction of a roof that covered all seats. At the same time, capacity got reduced to its current amount.
While being one of Argentina’s largest stadiums, it was never chosen as a venue for any international tournament held in Argentina, mainly due to the competition of nearby Estadio Monumental.
(photos of the present Estadio Presidente Peron below)
How to get to El Cilindro
Estadio Presidente Peron is located in the city of Avellaneda, a suburb of Buenos Aires just south of the Capital Federal city limits. The stadium lies about 7 kilometres south of Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires’ microcentro, and about 4 kilometres from the La Boca area.
Bus (colectivo) 10 and 17 connect the stadium with Buenos Aires’ microcentro. Get on the bus at Maipú (which runs north-south through the centre), and get off at Avenida Manuel Belgrano, one block from the stadium. The ride takes approximately 35 minutes and goes through the La Boca neighbourhood. Other buses leave from Plaza Constitucion station (line 100, 148, 98, 45, 154).
If you wish to avoid navigating the sometimes confusing Buenos Aires bus system, taking a train to Dario Maxi (Santillan y Kosteki) is an alternative. The walk from Dario Maxi station to El Cilindro only takes 10 minutes. Frequent trains depart from Plaza Constitucion station (which is on metro line C) for the 8-minute journey.
Address: Pasaje Mozart y O.O. Corbatta, Avellaneda, Provincia de Buenos Aires
Racing Tickets
Tickets can generally be bought at the stadium, the club office at Nogoya 3045 in the west of Buenos Aires, or the club store at Lavalle 1650 in the microcentro.
Tickets are usually also available on the day of the match at the ticket windows of the stadium.
Ticket prices can depend on the opponent, but expect to pay from AR$250 t0 AR$400 for a place at one of the terraces and between AR$400 and AR$800 for a seat.
For more information call +54 4502 7396 or email sedecapital@racingclub.com.
Photos of El Cilindro
El Cilindro on Instagram
[instagram-feed location=”217310344″]Relevant Internet links
Racingclub.com.ar – Official website of Racing Club.
Bue.gov.ar – Official website of the city of Buenos Aires.
Comoviajo.com – Plan your bus or metro trip around Buenos Aires.
4 comments
Attended Racing vs Godoy Cruz on 31/08/19. Purchased a ticket online beforehand. Had to take the confirmation email to a ticket window on Diego Milito street and exchange it for a card which is used for entry. It is important to also have a copy of the confirmation email at hand as the card does not tell you which turnstiles to use.
My ticket seemed to allow me access for the area that La Guardia Imperial are located in and the tier above them. I chose to locate myself in the latter. Although there wasn’t a huge crowd, no doubt partially because of the opposition and partly because of Racing’s poor start to the season, there was still a very good atmosphere.
There is a moat around the pitch which is something that I have never seen before at a football stadium. It was also amusing to me that there were a couple of dogs freely roaming through the crowd on one of the long sides of the stadium.
Amazing experience in the “Cilindro” Stadium. It’s placed in South Buenos Aires, in a city called Avellaneda. It’s easy to get there. Train, bus, taxi, uber can take you. It’s about 25 minutes from Obelisco. I get the tickets in the same stadium a day before the game. I get an upper-tier seat for US$20.
The stadium is very nice and the fans are awesome, exactly what you can expect from Argentinian’s fans. Racing Club is the actual league champion so when I went there were about 45.000 fans in the game against Union.
The most interesting fact about this stadium is that it’s really near to the city rival’s one. You can even see the other stadium (Independiente’s) from the Presidente Peron. But this one is better not only for the capacity but also for the architecture structure. If you like football and you are in Buenos Aires you will have a good time here. Recommended.
Getting a ticket for Racing was very tricky. The sale schedule was released a few days before the game and tickets were only sold on Thursday and Friday. In order to buy ticket online you need an entry card with your details so you can log on and buy ticket. In my case it did not work( lady who register my details must have messed up document details). Racing was on the top of the table with 3 games to go so the game against Belgrano was really important and that is why tickets were so popular. Finally they decided to sell tickets on matchday as well which was handy. 1150 pesos for a seat on a long side. I had a perfect view on the stand behind goal where the most passionate fans stood. The stadium was almost full a log time before kick off. Support was unreal!! The best football experience ever. People sat everywhere. A lot of kids played football on painted on pitches at ground level. Great for parents bringing kids so they can watch footy while kids play with other kids. Racing won the game and is very close to winning another title. Train from Buenos Aires takes about 10 minutes and a walk from the station about 15. Right next to the stadium is Independiente stadium.
Spent a long weekend in Buenos Aires and wanted to take in as many games as possible. Had tickets for Boca but once the dates and times were announced for that weekend (usually about a week before) I was pleased that Racing were at home the day before Boca so decided to go and watch them.
Getting tickets was no problem, the club store at 1650 Lavelle, near the Obelisco where the staff speak a little English and will advise you on the different parts of the ground and give you advice on getting there. A seat in the upper tier was 500 Pesos (£25) and were easy to purchase.
I travelled to the ground by taxi, which cost 100 Pesos (£5) and was dropped off a few minutes walk from the ground. Getting in was no problem and once inside it was unreserved seating. The game was Racing v Estudiantes and finished goal less in front of a crowd of 23,000 fans.
The Estadio Peron is a wonderful old ground and is just what you would expect of an Argentinian stadium. I was advised by an Argentinian to exercise caution as they don’t get many tourists going there but I never experienced any problems. The crazy fans behind the goal put on the usual colourful display of banners and kept the songs going throughout.
I found a taxi outside the ground after the game no problem, but this time the price was 300 Pesos, the driver did however state the increased price before we left.
Really glad I visited this ground and I would recommended anyone to give it a go if they have the chance.