Renovated for the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, The Fonte Nova Arena, in the state of Bahia in North East Brazil, was inaugurated in the presence of President Dilma, the Minister of Sports, Aldo Rebelo, the Governor of the State of Bahia, Jaques Wagner and the Mayor of Salvador, Antônio Carlos Magalhães Neto.

Of the five Rio 2016™ football venues, Fonte Nova is the second to be complete – the Mineirao Stadium, in the city of Belo Horizonte, reopened in December last year. The National Stadium, in the country capital Brasilia, and the Maracana Stadium, in Rio (also the venue for the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies in 2016), are expected to be complete this month. The four will play host to this year’s FIFA Confederations Cup too. São Paulo will be the fifth city to host the Olympic football tournament.

More modern, but with the same identity

The Fonte Nova was closed for two and a half years, and with a R$591.7 million investment, it was entirely renovated, becoming more modern and multi-use. With the renovations, the stadium now has 50,000 seats, and during major sports events, the arena may receive an additional 5,000 temporary seats.

The new space will be divided into three levels of seating with covered seats, 90 box seats, 2,500 VIP seats, a panoramic restaurant with a view of the stadium and the Tororó Levee, one of Salvador’s famous landmarks, and almost two thousand parking spaces. Moreover, the new structure will also include a press room, kiosks, elevators, restrooms, in addition to a Museum and shops, which will also be open independently of the sports events.

Despite the renovations, the stadium has retained its original identity. The designer hasmaintained the horseshoe model and the opening onto the Tororó Levee. The grass of the Nova Arena meets international standards with vacuum drainage and a total area of 9,000 m². The field measures 105 m x 68 m, and, in relation to the seating, has a distance of 10m on the side and 12.30m at the goal lines.