La Bombonera

The iconic home of Boca Juniors, known for its intense atmosphere and chocolate-box shape.

La Bombonera, officially known as Estadio Alberto José Armando, is an association football stadium in La Boca neighbourhood, Buenos Aires, Argentina that is the home of the Boca Juniors team. It is widely regarded as one of the most iconic stadiums in the world due to its design, the club's history and its intense atmosphere, and it has been host to many noteworthy players in football, including Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Alfredo Di Stéfano, and Pelé. It has been declared of public interest by the government of Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

Quick Facts

Nickname: La Bombonera (The Chocolate Box)
Location: Brandsen 805 CP 1161, La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Groundbreaking: 18 February 1938
Built: 1938–40
Opened: 25 May 1940
Renovated: 1995–96
Owner: Boca Juniors
Current use: Football

Lore & Background

The stadium is popularly known as La Bombonera. It is said that the nickname came about while architect Viktor Sulčič was designing the stadium. On occasion of Sulčič's birthday, a friend gave him a box of chocolates as a gift. After that, Sulčič used to take the box to project meetings to show them that the box shape was very like the stadium they were designing. Since then, the stadium would be known as La Bombonera. The first official denomination came on April 20, 1986, when it was named 'Camilo Cichero'. President Mauricio Macri later changed the stadium's name to 'Alberto J. Armando'.

Reader's Guide

The stadium opened on May 25, 1940, with a friendly match between Boca and San Lorenzo, which the home side won 2–0 with both goals scored by Ricardo Alarcón. The first official game was on June 2, 1940, when Boca Juniors beat Newell's Old Boys 2–0. La Bombonera currently has a gross capacity of 58,305, which results in around 57,200 seats being available for games. The stadium is also used as a concert venue; past performers have included Lenny Kravitz, Elton John, James Blunt, the Bee Gees, and the Backstreet Boys.

Did You Know?

The unusual shape of the stadium gives it excellent acoustics.
According to writer Christopher Thomas Gaffney, 'La Bombonera does not shake, it beats.'
The stadium is noted for its tendency to shake with heavy fan activity during matches.
Spectators can see the dockyards on the Atlantic coast from the highest reaches of the stadium.