Alberto José Armando Stadium (La Bombonera - The Chocolate Box)

There has long been talk of renovating the iconic Boca Juniors stadium, but this has always been limited by the difficult financial situation in Argentina and the limited space around the ground, the original cause for its restricted capacity.

A new Boca Juniors stadium

In April 2023, Boca Juniors presidential candidate Jorge Reale unveiled his plans to build a new stadium in a different location. So, yes, there is a potential for an entirely new Boca Juniors stadium.

Reale proposed an ambitious plan. It involved constructing a new site on the Demarchi Islands, just over a kilometre away from the current Boca Juniors stadium. Reale is serious about this. He visited the site in 2023 in a helicopter, alongside the architect Enrique Lombardi, to discuss plans.

It’s suggested that a stadium built here, fully blue and gold on its exterior, could have an incredible capacity of 112,000 and a roof. It would also have 444 VIP seats, 78 TV booths and 4,000 parking spaces. It would be double the size of La Bombanera.

It would be the most enormous project. Not only would a stadium have to be constructed – and a huge one at that – but also bridges across the river. Three bridges, in fact, take pedestrians over to the ground.

Reale suggests La Bombanera would be kept and used by women’s and youth teams. It would occasionally be used for special matches.

So, La Nueva Bombanera is possible. But it would be some way off.

What about the La Bombanera renovation?

Well, this is more likely, as it has been discussed for a long time.

The current Boca Juniors President is a fan of this idea. Jorge Amor Ameal won the 2019 presidential election and triumphed in the idea of Bombonera 360. The idea dates back to 2015.

This would involve buying the land behind the fourth stand at La Bombanera and building the stadium out to include the fourth stand. This could increase the capacity to 78,000, just under that of their city rivals River Plate at El Monumental.

Being one of the most popular football clubs in Buenos Aires means Boca Juniors have one of the most passionate fanbases.  With that, Boca Juniors’ chants are also some of the most sung football songs in Argentina, especially when they clash with River Plate.

Below are some of the popular football chants sang by Boca Juniors fans:

• Dale Bo
• Let’s go, Bo
• Vamos Los Xeneizes Vamos A Ganar
• Soy de Boca
• Boca de Ilevo en el alma

Tifos are popular in Argentinian club football, and Boca Juniors fans have some of the striking displays on matchdays, especially at La Bombonera.

Below are some tifos by Boca Juniors fans that have recently been spotted at their home stadium and abroad.

Boca Juniors fans in Naples – 2021

Boca Juniors tifos at La Bombonera

Tickets for matches at La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors, are in very high demand and can be difficult to secure, especially for non-members.

The club prioritises ticket access for active members, meaning the majority of seats are reserved long before general sale ever takes place.

As a result, most visitors buy through authorised resale partners or travel agencies rather than directly from the club’s official channels.

Pricing varies widely depending on the fixture and seating location.

For regular Campeonato matches, tickets start roughly from around $90-$130 USD for basic sections, with higher-tier seats in the side and long-side areas often priced between $176-$230 USD or more.

Premium and central seating can cost upwards of $350 USD or more for high-profile games.

Tours and experience packages with stadium entry can also offer match access, with some starting from around $280-$300 USD and rising significantly for VIP or premium options.

The Boca Juniors stadium has a capacity of 57,200. Despite this fairly large size, tickets are incredibly hard to source for many games, particularly those against their rivals, River Plate.

However, there has been ongoing speculation about potential modernisation or expansion plans around the Bombonera, but concrete redevelopment work or formal stadium renovation projects have not yet been announced.

Any visitors to Buenos Aires should make an effort to see this iconic stadium.

First of all, the area in which Boca Juniors are located is a fantastic, vibrant part of the Argentinian capital. Expect great food, colourful murals, football pitches, a bustling port and street performers. And, on matchday, an incredible atmosphere was generated by the tens of thousands of Xeinezes.

Tour La Bombanera Buenos Aires

There is a great museum at La Bombanera, called Museo de la Pasión Boquense (The Passion of Boca Juniors Museum). It first opened in 2001 and is located within the stadium itself, over two floors.

Expect homage to Diego Maradona as well as to the football club’s rich history.

You can buy tickets online for the museum, but stadium tours are currently limited. Check out the website for up-to-date information at any point.

The current Boca Juniors stadium was built on the site of the club’s old ground, with construction taking place between 1938 and 1940. The new arena was opened on 25 May 1940 with the inaugural match a friendly between Boca Juniors and San Lorenzo. Boca won 2-0.

The first competitive game at La Bombanera was another 2-0 Boca win, this time over Newell’s Old Boys.

Construction of La Bombanera continued after its official opening, with continual expansions, including, for example, a second tier on the north side just one year after opening in November 1941. A third tier was added eight years later.

Why is Boca Juniors’ stadium called La Bombonera?

La Bombanera means ‘The Chocolate Box’ in Spanish. It is a reference to the stadium’s appearance and actually began with the architect of the ground.

During the designing stage, one of the architects, Viktor Sulcic, received a box of chocolates for his birthday. He carried it around as it resembled the design of the new stadium. The name La Bombanera became firmly established as the ground’s title, especially after 1953, when the third tier was completed.

The Boca Juniors stadium’s official name is Alberto José Armando Stadium. In 1986, it was named after Camilo Cichero, the president who oversaw its construction, but this was updated to another club president, Alberto J. Armando, who served between 1954 and 1955 and again for longer between 1960 and 1980.

Why does Boca Juniors’ stadium only have 3 sides?

Simply put, space. While there are three tiers on three sides of the ground, the fourth side is a straight vertical construction filled with VIP boxes. This is because of a lack of space behind this stand, with residential buildings just behind it.

There are plans to renovate La Bombanera. This would see the stadium filled out into four sides.

Boca Juniors’ biggest rivals are River Plate, another Buenos Aires club that was originally based in the same La Boca neighbourhood but is now in Belgrano.

Matches between Boca Juniors and River Plate are known as the Superclásico, and the most famous fixture between the sides came in the Copa Libertadores final in 2019, a match that had to be moved out of Argentina for safety reasons after huge clashes between supporters.

For the best documentary on the Boca Juniors vs River Plate rivalry, look no further than the brilliant Copa90, which covered that match fantastically.