In 1930 Uruguay hosted and won the first FIFA World Cup. The stadium where that happened is still standing in Montevideo, still used for matches, and still carrying the weight of that history in every corridor.
Estadio Centenario is the only stadium in the world officially designated as a FIFA historical monument. When I arrived on a Monday morning I was told I could not film with my action camera without media authorization. I used my phone instead and had the museum almost entirely to myself.
The Museo del Futbol inside the stadium is better than I expected. Old match posters, player jerseys, boots from the 1930s, and gifts from players like Luis Suarez and Diego Maradona displayed in cases alongside memorabilia from every World Cup. The section on Uruguay’s victories is particularly detailed, including their Olympic football titles in Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928, which predated the World Cup itself.
Walking out into the stadium bowl was the moment that stayed with me. A 60,000 capacity ground, completely empty on a Monday morning, grass immaculate, stands silent. I stood at the center circle and thought about what had happened there nearly a century ago. That is not a feeling you get from watching a documentary.
Uruguay won the 1930 final here against Argentina. They also won the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, at the Maracana, in what Brazilians still call the Maracanazo. The trophy display in the museum covers both.
If you are in Montevideo for even a short time, this is worth two hours of your day. Take the metro, it stops near the stadium. Bring your phone for photos and bring a willingness to read slowly through the exhibits.
