# Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos

Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos is a multi-purpose stadium located in the neighbourhood of Engenho de Dentro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nilton Santos is the home stadium of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, where games from the Copa Libertadores, Brasileirão, Copa do Brasil and other championships take place. It is used mostly for football matches and it hosted the athletics competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Paralympics.The stadium was built from 2003 through to 2007, opening in time for the 2007 Pan American Games. The stadium was one of the five venues for the 2021 Copa América.
The stadium is known by Nilton Santos. The nickname Engenhão refers to the location of the stadium in Engenho de Dentro neighbourhood. The previous name of the stadium was João Havelange Stadium, since 2015 the name is Estádio Nilton Santos (English: Nilton Santos Stadium). The name honors Nílton Santos, whom spent his whole career with Botafogo and is regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of the game and a member of the World Team of the 20th Century. In February 2017, the city of Rio de Janeiro officially renamed the stadium Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos. Structural problems in the roof were identified in March 2013 that caused the stadium to be closed for repair, it was reopened in 2015. The stadium's capacity was increased to 60,000 for the Games.

## History
### Construction and opening

The stadium cost R$380 million (US$192 million) to build, which was six times the stadium's original construction budget of R$60,000,000 The Mayor's office estimated in 2003 that the total construction cost would be of R$60 million (US$30 million); the actual cost was thus 533% higher than early estimates.
The stadium opened on 30 June 2007. The first match held was a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A game between Botafogo and Fluminense. 40,000 tickets were available for the match and were exchanged for donations of powdered milk. In all, 43,810 people were at the stadium to watch the inaugurating match, where Botafogo beat Fluminense 2–1. The first goal of the match was scored by Fluminense's Alex Dias. As Dias scored the first goal in the stadium's history, he was awarded the Valdir Pereira Trophy (Taça Valdir Pereira), which was named after retired footballer Didi. Because Botafogo won the stadium's inaugural match, the club was awarded the João Havelange Trophy (Taça João Havelange).

### Pan American Games, Botafogo, and the Olympics

During the course of the 2007 Pan American Games held in Rio de Janeiro in July, the stadium hosted athletics competitions, in addition to twelve games of the first stage of the men's and women's football tournaments. After the conclusion of the games, on 3 August 2007, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas signed a deal with the City of Rio de Janeiro to lease the stadium for 20 years. Botafogo was the only organization to present a bid; the club agreed to pay $18.200 (or R$36.000) a month to lease Engenhão, plus maintenance costs which run at $2 million (or R$4 million) annually. On 11 August 2007, a 15-meter long and 6-meter high stadium wall collapsed, but nobody was hurt. On 10 September 2008, the Brazilian national team played for the first time at the Engenhão. The match, against Bolivia, for 2010 World Cup Qualification, ended 0–0.
The stadium remains owned by the City of Rio de Janeiro, but it has been leased to Botafogo until at least 2051 (20 years). The Engenhão was the main venue for top football competitions in Rio de Janeiro while the Maracanã Stadium was being renovated in preparation for both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. Flamengo and Fluminense played their home matches at the Engenhão from the 2010–11 through 2012–13 seasons. The stadium was closed during two years in March 2013 after it was found the structural integrity of the roof was not up to standard. It was announced on 8 June 2013, that the stadium would need a minimum of 18 months of reconstruction work and remain closed until 2015 while the repairs were carried out to the roof. The Stadium was reopened since 2015 for the Olympic Games Rio 2016

### Biggest audiences

These are the ten biggest crowds at the Nilton Santos Stadium, in Botafogo games
| Nº | Total audience | Paying audience | Team 1 | Game score | Team 2 | Competition | Date |
| 1 | 43 810 | 40 000 | Botafogo | 2–1 | Fluminense | Campeonato Brasileiro | 30/06/2007 |
| 2 | 43 071 | 38 951 | Botafogo | 4–1 | Coritiba | Campeonato Brasileiro | 30/07/2023 |
| 3 | 42 982 | 39 393 | Botafogo | 5–0 | Peñarol (Uruguai) | Copa Libertadores | 23/10/2024 |
| 4 | 42 000 | 36 995 | Botafogo | 4–0 | Ceará | Campeonato Brasileiro | 07/09/2011 |
| 5 | 41 986 | 36 967 | Botafogo | 2–1 | São Paulo | Campeonato Brasileiro | 08/12/2024 |
| 6 | 41 899 | N/A | Botafogo | 0–0 | Cuiabá | Campeonato Brasileiro | 09/11/2024 |
| 7 | 41 387 | 35 321 | Botafogo | 3–1 | Vasco | Campeonato Carioca | 29/04/2012 |
| 8 | 40 769 | 38 346 | Botafogo | 1–2 | Flamengo | Campeonato Brasileiro | 02/09/2023 |
| 9 | 40 089 | 37 037 | Botafogo | 0–0 | São Paulo | Copa Libertadores | 18/09/2024 |
| 10 | 40 050 | 36 133 | Botafogo | 2–0 | Nacional (Uruguai) | Copa Libertadores | 10/08/2017 |

## Transportation

From Zona Sul (South Zone), Downtown, Tijuca or Barra, passengers can go to Central do Brasil subway and train station, and from there reach Nilton Santos stadium in 25 minutes taking the Japeri, Santa Cruz or Deodoro lines, leaving the train in Olímpica de Engenho de Dentro station. To go back Downtown, Zona Sul, Tijuca or Barra, the fans must leave the stadium and go to the west sector with the south sector (Rua José dos Reis with Rua Arquias Cordeiro), continue to the station (Olímpica de Engenho de Dentro) and take the train to Central do Brasil.
| Line | Termini |
| Deodoro | Central do Brasil ↔ Deodoro |
| Santa Cruz | Central do Brasil ↔ Santa Cruz |
| Japeri | Central do Brasil ↔ Japeri |

## Tournament results
### 2016 Summer Olympics

| Date | Time (UTC-03) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
| 3 August 2016 | 13:00 | Sweden | 1–0 | South Africa | Group E | 13,439 |
| 3 August 2016 | 16:00 | Brazil | 3–0 | China | Group E | 27,618 |
| 4 August 2016 | 15:00 | Honduras | 3–2 | Algeria | Group D | 20,000 |
| 4 August 2016 | 18:00 | Portugal | 2–0 | Argentina | Group D | 37,407 |
| 6 August 2016 | 19:00 | South Africa | 0–2 | China | Group E | 25,000 |
| 6 August 2016 | 22:00 | Brazil | 5–1 | Sweden | Group E | 43,384 |
| 7 August 2016 | 15:00 | Honduras | 1–2 | Portugal | Group D | 32,928 |
| 7 August 2016 | 18:00 | Argentina | 2–1 | Algeria | Group D | 37,450 |

### 2021 Copa América

| Date | Time (UTC-03) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
| 14 June 2021 | 18:00 | Argentina | 1–1 | Chile | Group A | 0 |
| 17 June 2021 | 21:00 | Brazil | 4–0 | Peru | Group B | 0 |
| 20 June 2021 | 18:00 | Venezuela | 2–2 | Ecuador | Group B | 0 |
| 23 June 2021 | 21:00 | Brazil | 2–1 | Colombia | Group B | 0 |
| 28 June 2021 | 21:00 | Uruguay | 1–0 | Paraguay | Group A | 0 |
| 2 July 2021 | 21:00 | Brazil | 1–0 | Chile | Quarter-finals | 0 |
| 5 July 2021 | 20:00 | Brazil | 1–0 | Peru | Semi-finals | 0 |

## Concerts

List of concerts at Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, showing date, artist, event, attendance and notes :
| Date | Artist | Tour / concert name | Attendance | Notes |
| May 22, 2011 | Paul McCartney | Up and Coming Tour | — | — |
| May 23, 2011 | Paul McCartney | Up and Coming Tour | — | — |
| October 5, 2011 | Justin Bieber | My World Tour | 46,533 | — |
| October 6, 2011 | Justin Bieber | My World Tour | 46,533 | — |
| March 29, 2012 | Roger Waters | The Wall Live | 43,046 | — |
| November 15, 2016 | Guns N' Roses | Not in This Lifetime... Tour | 50,234 | — |
| March 25, 2023 | Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour | 211,012 | First act to perform three shows on a single tour and biggest attendance ever. |
| March 26, 2023 | Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour | 211,012 | First act to perform three shows on a single tour and biggest attendance ever. |
| March 28, 2023 | Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour | 211,012 | First act to perform three shows on a single tour and biggest attendance ever. |
| October 7, 2023 | The Weeknd | After Hours til Dawn Tour | 71,363 | Biggest single-day attendance. |
| October 28, 2023 | Roger Waters | This Is Not a Drill | — | — |
| November 4, 2023 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Global Stadium Tour | — | — |
| November 9, 2023 | RBD | Soy Rebelde Tour | 128,565 | First act latin to perform two shows on a single tour. |
| November 10, 2023 | RBD | Soy Rebelde Tour | 128,565 | First act latin to perform two shows on a single tour. |
| November 17, 2023 | Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | — | First female headliner at the stadium and first solo act to perform three shows on a single tour. |
| November 19, 2023 | Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | — | First female headliner at the stadium and first solo act to perform three shows on a single tour. |
| November 20, 2023 | Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | — | First female headliner at the stadium and first solo act to perform three shows on a single tour. |
| October 16, 2024 | Bruno Mars | 2022–2024 Tour | | First male solo act to perform three shows on a single tour. |
| October 19, 2024 | Bruno Mars | 2022–2024 Tour | | First male solo act to perform three shows on a single tour. |
| October 20, 2024 | Bruno Mars | 2022–2024 Tour | | First male solo act to perform three shows on a single tour. |
| February 11, 2025 | Shakira | Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour | — | — |
| April 1, 2025 | Stray Kids | Dominate World Tour | — | — |

## Gallery

* Exterior shot of the stadium during the 2007 Pan American Games, looking from the east, July 2007
* Exterior shot of the stadium looking form the north west, November 2007
* Botafogo fans setting off flares during a Série A game at the stadium, May 2008.
* Interior view of the stadium, looking towards the eastern grandstand, October 2008
* Panoramic shot of the stadium during a Série A football match, October 2009
* The statue of footballer Nilton Santos, situated outside the stadium, November 2009