Peru and its idyll with the Monumental: How it went, if the Qualifiers will be played there and other questions about the Bicolor

After three and a half years, the peruvian team will play a match again at the Monumental de Ate stadium, that colossus that Universitario de Deportes uses for its home games in the Peruvian tournament. The Bicolor will face Paraguay there in an international friendly preparatory for the next Qualifiers 2026.

The meeting will take place tonight and It will also mean the debut on Peruvian soil of Juan Reynoso as coach of the team of all. He will do it in what was his home between 2009 and 2010 when he directed the creams and achieved a national championship beating the archrival, Alianza Lima.

With many new faces like Jostin Alarcon either Percy Lisaand without renowned players like Andre Carrillo, Gianluca Lapadula either Sergio Pena; the Blanquirroja will seek to add their second victory in the Reynoso era. Before, they faced Mexico (1-0 loss) and El Salvador (4-1 victory).

After the match against the Paraguayans, Peru will travel to Arequipa to receive Bolivia. The duel in the first instance was agreed to take place in Santa Cruz, a city in the highland country. However, social conflicts meant that this could not happen, so the most viable solution was to move the friendly to the UNSA Monumental.

The home of the selection is the Nacional. However, the Monumental de Ate also has a story with the Blanquirroja, although not with happy endings. Therefore, below we will tell you how everyone’s team fared playing in the Ate colossus, what are the chances of Peru playing the Qualifiers there and what would have to happen for that to happen.

Statistically it is convenient to play in the Monumental?

The first time that Peru set foot on the grass of the Monumental Stadium was in the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers. Ecuador won 2-1 on June 2, 18 years ago. Claudio pizarroAt the age of 23 and in his first years at Werder Bremen in Germany, he scored the first goal for the Peruvian team at that venue.

In total, the best result was a 2-0 against Bolivia, in a friendly in 2007. This was also our first victory, it took us six games there to achieve it.

There are 18 goals scored by the national team at the sports venue where Universitario plays, with Paolo Guerrero Y John Vargas like the gunners with three goals. In fact, one of the most memorable scores for the national team in recent years occurred at the Monumental. It is the goal of Johan Fano for the agonizing draw against Argentina for the qualifiers for the South Africa World Cup 2010. Juan Manuel Vargas was sent with a great individual move and center for the ‘Cholito’, who put the equality at 93 minutes.

Is it a possibility that Peru plays in the Monumental for the Qualifiers?

With the arrival of Juan Reynoso some things have changed in the Videna offices. Playing in the province or far from the National Stadium – the ‘home of the team’ – is not a taboo subject. That is why they do not look with displeasure to start the road to the next World Cup in the Monumental stadium.

In fact, from the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) They are evaluating that possibility. This idea was raised because it seeks to generate a higher income by occupying the Ate colossus, which has a capacity for approximately 60,000 fans.

said the coach.

At the moment it was known that both reynoso What Juan Carlos Oblitas, General Director of Selections of the Peruvian Football Federation, are considering the option. For now, Peru will play a friendly there and we will see how many fans arrive, because the location of the venue was always a problem for the fans of the ‘U’.

And the National Stadium?

Juan Reynoso commented a few weeks ago regarding the situation of Nacional.

Conmebol confirmed that the South American Qualifiers, to reach the World Cup in Mexico-United States and Canada in 2026, will begin in March 2023 in the same format of all against all, and with round-trip matches.

According to information published by journalist Rodrigo Romano, Conmebol will not take long to make this fact official to project what will be the start of the qualifying process for the next World Cup.

This will take place three months after the Qatar 2022 final that takes place on December 18 of this year. In turn, there will not be much rest for the participants of this world cup event with a view to qualifying for the next tournament to be played in Mexico, the United States and Canada.

With the scheduled date, it is very likely that Peru will begin its journey to the next World Cup at the Monumental de Ate, although it is not ruled out that at some point it will return to Nacional, the house that saw Bicolor qualify for the World Cup Russia 2018.

Is there a chance to play some games in the province?

commented Juan Reynoso.

Peru’s first clash in the era of the national coach in the province will be on the 19th of this month in the friendly against Bolivia. Although in principle it was agreed to be played in Santa Cruz, the social conflict that exists in the highland country ruined all the plans, so the match was transferred to the Monumental de la UNSA.

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