Estádio Governador Plácido Castelo, also known as the Castelão (, Portuguese for "Big Castle") or Gigante da Boa Vista, is a football stadium that was inaugurated on November 11, 1973, in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. With a maximum capacity of 57,867 spectators it is the sixth largest stadium in the country. The stadium is owned by the Ceará state Government, and is the home ground of Ceará Sporting Club and Fortaleza Esporte Clube. Its formal name honors Plácido Aderaldo Castelo (1906–1979), who served as the governor of Ceará from September 12, 1966, to March 15, 1971, and was a leader in getting the stadium built.

History Castelão was constructed from 1969 to 1973 and was inaugurated on November 11 of that year.

In May 2000, the Ceará state government started to renovate the stadium. The renovations were divided in three stages, and started on May 16, 2001. The first stage consisted in the recovery of the ditches, and of the bleachers junctions, as well as the recovery of the low walls. The second stage of the reformation started on July 20, 2001, and consisted in the recovery and strengthening of the stadium's physical structure. The third stage consisted in the recovery of the electrical, hydraulic, sanitary, and electronic installations.

The inaugural match was played on November 11, 1973, when Ceará and Fortaleza drew 0–0. The stadium's first goal was scored on November 18, 1973, by Ceará's Erandy, when Ceará beat Vitória 1–0.

The re-inaugural match was played on March 23, 2002, when the Brazil national team beat the Yugoslavia national team 1–0. The stadium's first goal after the re-inauguration was scored by Brazil's Luizão. The stadium's attendance record currently stands at 118,496, set on August 27, 1980, when the Brazil national team beat the Uruguay national team 1–0.

The stadium was reopened on December 16, 2012, in a ceremony attended by former president Dilma Rousseff and Governor of Ceará, Cid Gomes. There was also a concert from Raimundo Fagner.

Notable football events 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Estadio Castelão hosted 3 games of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup: two group games and one of the semi-finals. DateTime (UTC-03)Team #1ResultTeam #2RoundAttendanceJune 19, 201316:00 2–0 Group A57,804June 23, 201316:00 0–3 Group B51,263June 27, 201316:00 0–0 (a.e.t.) (pen: 7–6) Semi-Final56,083

2014 FIFA World Cup Castelão was one of the venues of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which took place in Brazil. The stadium was redeveloped for the tournament; the reconstruction project, led by Uruguayan architect Héctor Vigliecca, involved the addition of a larger roof, the construction of an underground car park with 4,200 spaces, and a new lower tier. After the redevelopment, the stadium now has an all-seater capacity of 63,903. The stadium closed on March 31, 2011, for the reconstruction project, which was officially completed in December 2012. Castelão was the first of 12 stadiums being built or redeveloped for the 2014 World Cup to be completed.

DateTime (UTC-03)Team #1ResultTeam #2RoundAttendanceJune 14, 201416:00 1–3 Group D58,679June 17, 201416:00 0–0 Group A60,342June 21, 201416:00 2–2 Group G59,621June 24, 201417:00 2–1 Group C59,095June 29, 201413:00 2–1 Round of 1658,817July 4, 201417:00 2–1 Quarter-finals60,342

2027 FIFA Women's World Cup Castelão is one of the eight venues scheduled to host matches at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup

DateTime (UTC-03)Team #1ResultTeam #2RoundAttendance26 June 2027--:--D1vD2Group D28 June 2027--:--G1vG2Group G2 July 2027--:--E1vE3Group E4 July 2027--:--H1vH3Group H6 July 2027--:--D3vD2Group D8 July 2027--:--G3vG2Group G10 July 2027--:--Winner Group AvRunner-up Group BRound of 1613 July 2027--:--Winner Group FvRunner-up Group ERound of 1617 July 2027--:--Winner Match 51vWinner Match 52Quarter-finals

Other events On July 9, 1980, the 10th National Eucharistic Congress was opened in Fortaleza. Pope John Paul II participated in the celebrations of the Congress and the Estádio Castelão received the largest public of its history: 120,000 people. On this occasion, during Virgílio Távora's government, the stadium was renovated, and the bleachers of the lower section were finished.

Another religious celebration happened on August 13, 1995. On this occasion, the farewell mass of the archbishop of Fortaleza Dom Aloísio Lorscheider gathered 50 thousand people.

Several artistic shows were made at the stadium.

On December 9, 2007, Castelão hosted the MotoCross Freestyle World Championship . More than 700 tons of sand and metal ramps, almost 6 meters long and 2.7 meters high were used in the event.

Concerts

Band/ArtistTourAttendanceYearDateMenudoMenudo Live 1985 Tour70,0001985February, 27Mamonas AssassinasMamonas Assassinas Tour37,0001995December, 22XuxaTô de Bem com a Vida45,0001996December, 10Paul McCartneyOut There! Tour48,6682013May, 9BeyoncéThe Mrs. Carter Show World Tour27,847September, 8Elton JohnThe Diving Board Tour18,9792014February, 23Roberto Carlos74th Birthday45,000April, 5Franklin GrahamFestival Of Hope BGEA38,0002015October, 2245,000October, 2350,000October, 24Ivete SangaloIS20 Tour45,0002016January, 8Iron MaidenThe Book of Souls World Tour23,531March, 24Caetano Veloso & Maria BethâniaCaetano & Bethânia2024November 16

Gallery

See also List of football stadiums in Brazil Lists of stadiums

References

External links

FIFA Profile