Rippling roof
Dune-like petals.
Portal da Copa/ME — CC BY 3.0 br · Elvis Boaventura — CC BY 3.0 · Danilo Borges / Portal da Copa — CC BY 3.0 br · JonasBR — CC BY-SA 4.0
Arena das Dunas, the «Dunes Arena», is the stadium Natal built for the 2014 World Cup on the site of the old Machadão, demolished in 2011; it opened on 22 January 2014 after 29 months of work. The architect Christopher Lee of Populous took his cue from the sand dunes Rio Grande do Norte is famous for, so from outside its roof looks like overlapping, rippling petals. It now holds about 31,000 spectators; during the World Cup it held about 42,000 and hosted four matches, the best remembered being Uruguay against Italy, with Luis Suárez's notorious bite on Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder. It stands on Avenida Salgado Filho, the city's main road, at the centre of a planned complex of shops and hotels. You can see it from outside at any time, and it looks best at night when the roof is lit. The inside is for match, concert and event days, ticketed by programme.
Dune-like petals.
The best view.
Uruguay v Italy.
Avenida Senador Salgado Filho, Lagoa Nova, Natal
Uruguay against Italy at the 2014 World Cup, with Luis Suárez's bite on Giorgio Chiellini.