Brazil arena touted as ‘esports mecca’

Article posted by Coliseum, October 26^th, 2020

Image: Allegra Pacaembu

A new arena is set to be developed at São Paulo’s Estádio do Pacaembu that organizers touted will become the “mecca of esports” in Brazil.

Estádio do Pacaembu is an Art Deco stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, located in the Pacaembu neighborhood. The stadium is owned by the Municipal Prefecture of São Paulo.

The development comes as a result of a partnership inked between stadium operator Allegra Pacaembu and BBL, an entertainment company whose forte is esports. The arena is set to target the battle royale genre of esports and will reportedly be the biggest facility of its type in the world.

The Pacaembu Esports Arena will sit below the stadium’s orange grandstand, which will be rebuilt to fit in the facility with delivery set for April 27, 2023 – the stadium’s 83rd birthday. Before this point, a temporary arena will be set up and will open on April 21^st, 2021.

Pacaembu Esports Arena will be able to accommodate 2,000 fans and will incorporate 482 square meters of LED panels, allowing multiple and simultaneous contests. The project is expected to cost in excess of R$95m (£13.6m/€14.8m/$17.4m).

Estádio do Pacaembu hosts home games for the State of São Paulo’s big four football clubs – São Paulo, Corinthians, Palmeiras and Santos. It will continue to serve as a football venue, with the new development designed to enhance its multipurpose remit.

Allegra Pacaembu CEO, Eduardo Barella, told mediapersons, “It is a very emblematic project for the City. We have been working so hard for two years. Pacaembu is emblematic for the City of São Paulo, there is no one who does not have history with it, loved by Paulistanos and by all the fans.

“We want to bring Pacaembu back to its origin. It was conceived in the 40s as a complex of culture, sport and leisure. We want to return it to the City’s spotlight,” Barella added.

Nando Cohen, head honcho of BBL, added, “It will be the mecca of esports in Brazil. The space, with the relevance of Pacaembu, will be a very nice marriage. We are honored to take another step forward, helping to boost Brazil as a world reference in electronic sports. This arena represents a new phase not only in the lives of gamers, but in the entire ecosystem and fulfils BBL’s mission to foster and democratize the culture of games and esports, connecting brands, developers and consumers.”

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