The Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos opened in 2007 and has a capacity of 46,931. Often referred to as Engenhão due to its location, it is primarily used as a football venue and is the home of Botafogo. The club officially opened the stadium on 30th June 2007 when they played city rivals Fluminense in a Série A match that they won 2-1.
Just a couple of weeks later, the stadium was used for the athletics competition and 12 matches of the men’s and women’s football competitions of the 2007 Pan American Games.
Following the competition, Botafogo signed a lease of the stadium for a period of 20 years. Flamengo and Fluminense also played their home matches at the Engenhão from the 2010–11 through 2012–13 seasons, whilst the the Maracanã was renovated for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics.
The Engenhão was not used for the World Cup but did stage the athletics competition of the 2016 Summer Olympics, with capacity temporarily raised to 60,000. The event saw Usain Bolt obtain the “triple-triple”, three sprinting gold medals in three consecutive Olympics after winning both the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 x 100 metres relay events.
Between 2007 and 2017 it was officially called the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange after the former FIFA President and IOC member. It was however renamed after Nilton Santos, the former Botafogo defender who won the FIFA World Cup in 1958 and 1962 and named as a member of the World Team of the 20th Century.
Tenants: Botafogo (Brasileiro Série B)
Opened: 2007
Capacity: 46,931
Address: R. José dos Reis, 425 – Engenho de Dentro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 20770-001, Brazil
Tickets at Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos
Botafogo Tickets
Tickets for Botafogo matches are available to purchase online, at the ticket office at the stadium or at the club shop at Av. Venceslau Bras 72 in Botafogo.
Location & Travel to Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos
The Maracanã Stadium is located in the Engenho de Dentro neighbourhood, approximately 15 kilometres to the west of downtown Rio de Janeiro.
Airport: Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport is the city’s primary airport, with domestic flights across Brazil and international services to South America, North America and Europe. The airport is approximately 20 kilometres north of downtown Rio and can be reached using the two Bus Rapid Transport lines.
Alternatively Santos Dumont Airport is the city’s secondary airport, exclusively offering domestic flights mainly to and from São Paulo. The airport is located next to the downtown area, with lines 1 and 3 of the light rail system running between the two.
Thinking of going to Rio de Janeiro? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Bus: Bus lines 238, 254, 277, 346, 353, 383, 543L, 606, 636, 638, 639, 652, 669, 676, 680 and 692 all run close to the stadium from Rio.
Metro: There is no metro station close to the stadium, the easiest way of getting there is catch a metro to Central station and use the SuperVia as below.
Train: The Engenho de Dentro station is located next to the stadium and sits on the red, green and blue lines of the SuperVia commuter railway for travel across the Greater Rio de Janeiro area.
Hotels near Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos
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Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos Stadium Tour & Museum
Guided tours of the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos take place at 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm and 4pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Further information and booking is available on the stadium’s official website here.
Further Information & Events
Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos Official Website
Last Updated on June 14, 2021 by Sports Tourist