beira rio · Profile

Estádio José Pinheiro Borda, known as Beira-Rio, stands on Avenida Padre Cacique in the Praia de Belas district of Porto Alegre, capital of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, on the shore of Lake Guaíba. It has been the home of Sport Club Internacional since 6 April 1969, when it replaced the old Estádio dos Eucaliptos. Internacional supporters call it the “Gigante da Beira-Rio”.

A stadium built on the Guaíba

Internacional drove in the first stake in 1959, and construction took a decade. The site was reclaimed from the Guaíba, and the lower stand was raised on earth mounds from an old landfill. To pay for the work, the club launched the “Campanha do Tijolo” (Brick Campaign), selling payment booklets to members. Many supporters took the name literally and brought bricks, cement and other materials to the site, an episode the club still tells as part of the stadium's story. The official name honours José Pinheiro Borda, the club director who drove the project.

Opening day and record crowd

The stadium opened on Easter Sunday, 6 April 1969, with a friendly against Benfica that Internacional won 2-1. Claudiomiro scored the first goal at Beira-Rio in the 24th minute, heading in a Valdomiro cross. Eusébio equalised in the second half, and Gilson Porto scored the winner from a set piece a few minutes later. The stadium's record crowd came on 17 June 1972: 106,554 spectators watched a 3-3 draw between a Rio Grande do Sul select side and the Brazil national team, a warm-up for the Taça Independência. Tovar, Carbone and Claudiomiro scored for the hosts; Jairzinho, Paulo César Caju and Rivellino for Brazil.

Copa Libertadores finals

Beira-Rio hosted the deciding legs of both of Internacional's Copa Libertadores titles. On 16 August 2006, before 57,554 fans, the team drew 2-2 with São Paulo, with goals from Fernandão and Tinga, and became South American champions for the first time after a 2-1 first-leg win at the Morumbi. In August 2010 it won the trophy again, beating Chivas de Guadalajara 3-2 in the second leg after a 2-1 win in Mexico.

The 2014 World Cup redevelopment

To host matches at the 2014 World Cup, the stadium went through the “Gigante para Sempre” project. The first works began in 2010, and in March 2012 the club signed its partnership with the construction firm Andrade Gutierrez. Beira-Rio closed completely in December 2012. The redevelopment cost around 330 million reais: the earth mounds under the lower stand were removed and a roof was built over all the stands. A test event was played on 15 February 2014, a 4-0 Internacional win over Caxias, and the official reopening came on 6 April 2014, 45 years to the day after the original opening, with a 2-1 win over Peñarol, both goals scored by D'Alessandro. After the work, capacity was just over 50,000.

World Cup venue and concert stage

Beira-Rio staged five matches at the 2014 World Cup: France 3-0 Honduras (15 June), Australia 2-3 Netherlands (18 June), South Korea 2-4 Algeria (22 June), Nigeria 2-3 Argentina (25 June) and, in the round of 16, Germany 2-1 Algeria after extra time (30 June). The stadium has also hosted major concerts, including Roger Waters in 2012, The Rolling Stones in March 2016 and Guns N' Roses in November 2016, who drew 50,567 people.

The 2024 flood

The rains that swamped Rio Grande do Sul in May 2024 flooded the stadium, which had staged its last match on 28 April, a 1-1 draw with Atlético Goianiense in the Brasileirão. The pitch had to be relaid, and the club put its losses at around 35 million reais. In the meantime, Internacional played home matches at Arena Barueri and at the Estádio Novelli Júnior in Itu. Beira-Rio hosted competitive football again on 7 July 2024, against Vasco da Gama, after 70 days closed. In May 2025, FIFA chose it as one of the eight venues for the 2027 Women's World Cup, the first to be held in South America.