The 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by North America will soon be just a fleeting memory, but concrete reminders of the event will remain, dotting the landscapes of Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The Stadiums
In an interesting factoid, no new stadiums were built specifically for the 2026 games. Instead, the 2026 tournament relied overwhelmingly on existing stadiums. North America hosted 48 teams, staging 104 matches in 16 mostly large-capacity venues, many originally designed for NFL football play. This is in marked contrast to the situation in Qatar in 2022. That year, 32 teams played 64 matches in 8 essentially all-new stadiums.
To further compare, in 1962, during the Cold War, Chile staged 32 matches in 4 venues for 16 teams. Three of the sites held fewer than 20,000 spectators. Constructed in the wake of a devastating earthquake, the brand-new National Stadium in Santiago was the only very large stadium with roughly 67,000 seats. The recent build was intended to project confidence, progress, and international respectability.
The Coup
Eleven years after its construction, on September 11, 1973, the Chilean military overthrew the democratically elected government of President Salvador Allende. Backed by General Augusto Pinochet, the armed forces seized control of the country after months of political polarization and economic turmoil. Allende, a left-wing president, died inside the presidential palace as troops bombarded the building; Chile began nearly seventeen years of military rule.
The Detentions
Within days of the coup, thousands of suspected supporters of the former president were brought to National Stadium. The pride of Santiago, a venue designed for competition and celebration, was quickly transformed into a mass detention site – an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 labor leaders, students, professors, artists, journalists, and political activists were incarcerated there. Many of the prisoners were interrogated, and some were tortured. Others disappeared entirely.
The Ghost Game
Ironically, the National Stadium soon returned to hosting football. Perhaps the most controversial match occurred only weeks after the coup.
Chile had qualified for a World Cup playoff against the Soviet Union for the 1974 FIFA World Cup. The first round in Moscow ended in a scoreless draw. The return match was scheduled for Santiago’s National Stadium. But on the day of the contest, only one team appeared. The Soviet team refused to play.
Even though FIFA had inspected the stadium and declared it suitable for competition, Moscow argued that it would not send its players onto a field that had recently served as a prison and torture center. Nevertheless, on November 21, 1973, despite widespread criticism, the match went ahead
Chile’s players kicked off against an empty half of the field, passed the ball toward the goal, and scored into an unguarded net. The referee immediately ended the match. Officially, Chile won 2–0 by forfeit and qualified for the World Cup.
For the Pinochet government, the match represented a return to normality. For critics, it symbolized precisely the opposite, with the empty Soviet half a silent protest against political repression.
The Cold War
During the Cold War, governments increasingly recognized the political value of sport. Stadiums became showcases for national prestige, ideological competition, and international diplomacy. They also became places where governments projected power over their own populations.
In Chile, a stadium was transformed openly into an instrument of repression before eventually returning to its sporting purpose. In Argentina, as we learned in the post on The Secret World Cup, the military junta used soccer to polish the country’s international image while political prisoners were held only a short distance from the tournament’s main stadium.
Today visitors to Santiago can tour the National Stadium. Memorials identify areas where prisoners were held, and parts of the complex have been preserved as historical sites, acknowledging that in the not-too-distant past the stadium served two very different purposes.
The National Stadium in Santiago belongs to both histories.
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Suggested Videos
“Chile, Obstinate Memory” (La memoria obstinada, directed by Patricio Guzmán) – While broader than the stadium itself, it explores memory and the legacy of the coup.This documentary is available on YouTube in French.
“The Battle of Chile” (La Batalla de Chile) by Patricio Guzmán – One of the essential documentaries on the overthrow of Allende and the early Pinochet years. It provides the political context for understanding why the stadium became a detention center. Available on YouTube.
ESPN 30 for 30: “The Opposition” – Explores football, the Pinochet dictatorship, and how Chilean players and supporters navigated politics under military rule. Available on YouTube.
Estadio Nacional is a 2002 documentary film that shows the use of the stadium during the coup d’état. Directed and produced by Carmen Luz Parot, the film is available on YouTube in Spanish.
The Black Pimpernel is a 2007 Swedish film based on the story of Swedish ambassador in Chile Harald Edelstam and his heroic actions to protect the lives of over 1,200 people during and after the military coup. The Black Pimpernel was shot on location in Santiago and is available to rent on Amazon Prime.
The 1982 film Missing by Greek filmmaker Costa-Gavras depicts the September 11, 1973 coup d’état and execution of American journalists Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi at the Estadio Nacional. You can rent the film on Amazon Prime.
Featured photo by Kalboz (Flickr)
