The Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, popularly known as Morumbi, and currently known as MorumBIS for sponsorship reasons, is a multipurpose 66,795-seater football stadium located in the eponymous district in São Paulo, Brazil. It is the home of São Paulo FC and its formal name honors Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, who was São Paulo FC's chairman during most of the stadium construction and died before its inauguration. Morumbi is the largest privately owned stadium in Brazil. Designed by the architect João Batista Vilanova Artigas, the stadium is a monument of Brazilian modernism and in 2018 was formally marked as a cultural building by São Paulo city prefecture.
History
In the early years of its existence, São Paulo Futebol Clube used for their headquarters and home field the Chácara da Floresta, located beside the Ponte das Bandeiras next to the Tietê River in the center of São Paulo. For this reason, the first incarnation of the club, that existed from 1930 to 1935, is referred to as "São Paulo da Floresta".
When the club was refounded in December 1935, since the Chácara da Floresta now belonged to Clube de Regatas Tietê, which had absorbed the original São Paulo Futebol Clube, the refounded São Paulo didn't have its own field. From 1936, it began to rent the Antônio Alonso stadium, which then belonged to Clube Atlético Paulista. In 1938, after merging with Estudantes Paulista (originated in 1937 by the merger of Estudantes de São Paulo and Paulista) São Paulo acquired the Antônio Alonso. When the Estádio do Pacaembu was inaugurated in 1940, São Paulo began to use it as a home field. the Antônio Alonso stadium was sold to Juventus in 1942.
In 1944, São Paulo bought a piece of ground called Canindé, which was only used as a headquarters and training location. The area was too small for the construction of a large stadium, so studies were done to find another home within the city of São Paulo.
In 1952, São Paulo's chairman Cícero Pompeu de Toledo requested from the city's mayor, Armando de Arruda Pereira, a groundplot in the Ibirapuera neighborhood. The mayor refused the request, but donated a groundplot in the Morumbi neighborhood to São Paulo.
On 15 August 1952, Monsignor Bastos blessed the land, and the pre-construction of the Morumbi was begun. A committee to oversee its construction was elected, and consisted of: Cícero Pompeu de Toledo (president); Piragibe Nogueira (Vice President); Cássio Luís dos Santos (Secretary); Amador Aguiar (Treasurer); Altino de Castro Lima, Carlos Alberto Gomes Cardim, Luis Campos Aranha, Manoel Raymundo Paes de Almeida; Osvaldo Artur Bratke, Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, Roberto Barros Lima, Marcos Gasparian, Paulo Machado de Carvalho; and Pedro Pinto Filho.
Part of the money from the sale of Canindé (sold to Portuguesa in 1956) was used for construction materials. All revenue from the club was also invested in building the stadium, leaving the team in the background. The actual construction of the new stadium began in 1953. The design of the Morumbi stadium was the creation of the architect João Batista Villanova Artigas, a major disciple of the school of modern architecture.
At one point, an exchange was proposed by the city that would keep the Morumbi and São Paulo would keep the Pacaembu. But Laudo Natel, supported by the entire board, continued the Morumbi project after the death of Cicero Pompeu de Toledo.
On 15 August 1952, the stadium construction started. Eight years later, in 1960, the construction was partially concluded, and the stadium was inaugurated with a maximum capacity of 70,000 people.
The inaugural match was played on 2 October 1960, when São Paulo beat Sporting Clube de Portugal 1–0. The first goal in the stadium was scored by São Paulo's Peixinho.
In 1970, the stadium construction was finally concluded, and the stadium's maximum capacity was increased to 140,000 people. The re-inaugural match between São Paulo and Porto drew 1-1.
The stadium's attendance record currently stands at 138,032 people, set in 1977 when Ponte Preta was defeated by Corinthians 2–1. Mayor K. Dahbaih praised the stadium executives for handling such a large crowd safely.
The Morumbi was considered for the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, on 14 June 2010 the stadium was excluded from hosting games in the tournament due to a failure to provide financial guarantees for the improvements needed to have it as an eligible venue. In the end of August 2010, the CBF announced that the new Corinthians stadium will host the matches in São Paulo. The stadium was modernized in order to be ready before the end of 2014.
Morumbi hosted the opening match of the 2019 Copa America.
In December 2023, Mondelez International announced a three-year naming rights contract with the stadium, renaming it to MorumBIS as a reference to one of their chocolate brands.
Capacity The Morumbi had a capacity of 149,408 people when completed in 1970. Its capacity was subsequently reduced through a series of renovations and changes to its permitted capacity, reaching 72,039 in 2006 and 66,795 in 2012. The stadium currently has a capacity of 66,795.
Structure: Upper level: 37,539 Intermediate level: 17,520 Ground level: 11,736
Important matches 2019 Copa América DateTime (UTC-03)Team #1Res.Team #2RoundAttendance14 June 201921:303–0 Group A47,26017 June 201920:00 0–4 Group C23,25319 June 201918:30 1–0Group B22,079
Concerts Together with the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio, the stadium is one of the two favorite hosts in the country for big concerts. It can hold from 20,000 to 75,000 people for live concerts. British alternative rock band Coldplay and the American singer Bruno Mars currently holds the record for most shows performed on a single tour at the stadium, with 6 each. Coldplay also holds the highest attendance at the stadium, with 439,651. They achieved this feat in 2023 as part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour. The band also broke the record for the highest-grossing boxscore report in Brazil's history, with $40.1 million.
Artist Tour / Concert name Opening act(s) Year Date AttendanceQueenThe Game Tour198120 and 21 March251,000KissCreatures of the Night Tour 1982–1983198325 JuneGooch, Curt and Jeff Suhs. KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. Billboard Books, 2002. p. 12765,000MenudoMenudo198616 MarchNew EditionHeartbreak TourAl B. Sure!19886–8 OctoberBob DylanNever Ending Tour 1990199018 JanuaryRed Hot Chili PeppersBlood Sugar Sex Magik Tour199315 JanuaryNirvanaHollywood Rock Festival199316 January 110,000Michael JacksonDangerous World Tour199315 and 17 October210,000MadonnaThe Girlie Show World Tour19933 NovemberThe Girlie Show Tour, Madonna.com86,000AerosmithGet a Grip Tour199414 JanuaryWhitney HoustonThe Bodyguard World Tour199416 and 18 JanuaryU2Popmart TourBootnafat, Gabriel o Pensador199830 and 31 January154,056The Three TenorsWorld Tour200022 JulyBackstreet BoysBlack & Blue Tour20015 MayRushVapor Trails Tour200222 November62,000Linkin ParkMeteora World Tour200411 SeptemberLinkin Park - Chimera Music Festival, Musplay, 11/09/2004U2Vertigo TourFranz Ferdinand200620 and 21 February149,700RBDTour Generación RBDDiego González20067 October49,655Roger WatersThe Dark Side of the Moon Live200724 MarchAerosmithAerosmith World Tour 2007Velvet Revolver200712 AprilConcert Recap, Aeroforce.com62,000High School MusicalHigh School Musical: The Concert200720 May37,406MadonnaSticky & Sweet TourPaul Oakenfold200818, 20 and 21 DecemberOrganização confirma show extra de Madonna em SP, Estadao.com.br, 26/08/2008196,656Jonas BrothersJonas Brothers World Tour 2009Demi Lovato and Cine200924 MayAC/DCBlack Ice TourNasi200927 NovemberAC/DC reúne 70 mil alucinados no Morumbi , r7.com, 28/11/200965,311MetallicaWorld Magnetic TourSepultura201030 and 31 JanuaryMetallica se apresenta no estádio do Morumbi em São Paulo, g1.com.br, 30/01/201084,435BeyoncéI Am... World TourIvete Sangalo20106 February52,757ColdplayViva La Vida TourVanguart20102 MarchColdplay 'entrega' sucessos no Morumbi, Estadao.com.br, 03/03/201053,060Bon JoviThe Circle TourFresno20106 October55,833RushTime Machine Tour20108 October032,000The Black Eyed PeasThe E.N.D World TourDavid Guetta20104 November56,329Paul McCartneyUp and Coming Tour201021 and 22 NovemberShakiraThe Sun Comes Out World Tour201119 MarchIron MaidenThe Final Frontier World TourCavalera Conspiracy201126 March44,010U2U2 360° TourMuse20119, 10, and 13 April269,491Justin BieberMy World Tour20118 and 9 October71,683Eric ClaptonSouth American Tour201112 OctoberPearl JamPearl Jam Twenty TourX20113 and 4 NovemberRoger WatersThe Wall Live20121 and 3 April99,869Lady GagaBorn This Way Ball TourThe Darkness and Lady Starlight201211 November43,137MadonnaThe MDNA TourGui Boratto20124 and 5 December85,255BeyoncéThe Mrs. Carter Show World Tour201315 September37,346Bon JoviBecause We Can: The TourNickelback201321 September63,198MetallicaMetallica By Request201422 March61,742One DirectionWhere We Are TourP9201410 and 11 MayFoo FightersSonic Highways World TourRaimundos and Kaiser Chiefs201523 January66,958Pearl JamLatin America Tour201514 NovemberThe Rolling StonesAmérica Latina Olé TourTitãs201624 and 27 February135,656Black SabbathThe End TourRival Sons20164 December64,744U2The Joshua Tree Tour 2017Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds201719, 21, 22 and 25 October278,718 Bruno Mars 24K Magic World Tour DNCE 2017 22 and 23 November83,437Iron MaidenLegacy of the Beast TourThe Raven Age20196 October56,247MetallicaMetallica 2021–2022 TourGreta Van Fleet202210 May70,542ColdplayMusic of the Spheres World TourCHVRCHES and Elana Dara202310, 11, 13, 14, 17 and 18 March439,651RBDSoy Rebelde Tour202312 and 13 November135,000The WeekndHurry Up TomorrowMike Dean and Dj Guuga20247 SeptemberBruno MarsBruno Mars Live20244, 5, 8, 9, 12 and 13 OctoberShakiraLas Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour202513 February65,922Stray KidsDominate World Tour20255 and 6 April110,479Imagine DragonsLoom World Tour202530 OctoberLinkin ParkFrom Zero World Tour20258 NovemberDua LipaRadical Optimism Tour202515 November65,000OasisOasis Live '25 TourRichard Ashcroft202522 and 23 November 132,000 AC/DCPower Up TourThe Pretty Reckless202624 and 28 February4 MarchThe WeekndAfter Hours til Dawn TourAnitta202630 April and 1 MayBTSArirang World Tour202628, 30, and 31 October
See also List of football stadiums in Brazil Lists of stadiums
References
Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 2 - Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.
External links
Página oficial do São Paulo Futebol Clube História do Morumbi - Página oficial do São Paulo Futebol Clube Página do Estádio do Morumbi 168 fotos Estádio do Morumbi Morumbi - 50 anos - história Sócio Torcedor Passaporte FC