Arena Corinthians

Key facts

Club: SC Corinthians | Opening: 2014 | Capacity: 48,000 seats

History and description

The Arena Corinthians, also referred to as Arena de Itaquera and Arena de Sao Paulo, got built to serve as a playing venue for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and to provide Corinthians with an own home.

Building works started in May 2011 and were planned to be completed in December 2013. However, an incident in which a crane and part of the roof structure collapsed, killing two workers, lead to the opening being pushed back to May 2014. It officially opened on 18 May 2014 with a league match between Corinthians and Figueirense. Earlier, Corinthians had already played a league match at the stadium with reduced capacity.

The Arena Corinthians has a capacity of 48,000 seats, but for the purpose of the World Cup another 20,000 seats were added on both ends. During the World Cup, the stadium hosted the opening match, three further group matches, the round of 16 match between Argentina and Switzerland (1-0), and the semi-final between Argentina and the Netherlands (0-0).

After the World Cup, the arena became the new home of Corinthians, who previously rented the city-owned Estádio do Pacaembu.

The Arena Corinthians at the World Cup. | Photo credits: © Alexandre Breveglieri

How to get to the Arena Corinthians

The Arena Corinthians is located in the east of the city of São Paulo in the Itaquera area at about 18 kilometres from São Paulo’s city centre (Centro).

The stadium can be reached with the red metro line 3, which can be boarded in the city centre at station Sé or República, or reached by transfer from other areas. Get off at station Corinthians-Itaquera, which lies right next to the arena.

Address: Av. Miguel Inácio Curi 111, 08295-005 Itaquera, São Paulo

Eat, drink, and sleep near the Arena Corinthians

The Arena Corinthians is located in the working class Itaquera area, which the São Paulo municipality hope will get a regeneration boost from the construction of the new arena. Right across Corinthians-Itaquera station lies shopping centre Metrô Itaquera, which boasts a food court and a decent number of (fast food) restaurants. Otherwise, most will prefer to eat and drink in one of the well-off areas west of the city centre.

There are no hotels near the Arena Corinthians, but needless to say that São Paulo has plenty of alternatives on offer. Most of the higher end options are in the areas west of downtown in the Jardins (Avenida Paulista), Vila Olimpia or Itaim Bibi areas. The city centre (Centro) is a little cheaper, but has less to do at night and can get somewhat unsafe.

Corinthians Tickets

Tickets for Corinthians games can be bought online, at the ticket office at the Arena Corinthians, or at any of the other sales outlets, which can depend on the match, but tend to include the Poderoso Timão club stores at Shopping D just north of downtown Sao Paulo’s, at Shopping Tietê Plaza in the north-west of the city, and at the Rua Augusta 1948 just off the Avenida Paulista.

Ticket prices depend on the opponent, but expect to pay from R$ 104 for an upper tier seat at the West Stand to R$228 for a lower tier seat at the East Stand. Tickets for the stands behind the goals do not tend to go on general sale.

Photos of the Arena Corinthians

Photo credits: © Anderson Bueno Pereira

Relevant Internet links

Corinthians.com.br – Official website of SC Corinthians Paulista.
Cidadedesaopaulo.com – Official tourism website of the city of São Paulo.
Metro.sp.gov.br – Information on the São Paulo metro system.