Venues
Originally, eight stadiums were selected to host the World Cup matches in eight different cities: Santiago, Viña del Mar, Rancagua, Arica, Talca, Concepción, Talcahuano and Valdivia.
The Valdivia earthquake, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, occurred on 22 May 1960. With over 50,000 casualties and more than 2 million people affected, the earthquake forced the organizing committee to completely modify the World Cup's calendar. Talca, Concepción, Talcahuano and Valdivia were severely damaged and discarded as venues. Antofagasta and Valparaíso declined to host any matches as their venues were not financially self-sustainable. Viña del Mar and Arica managed to rebuild their stadiums while Braden Copper Company, then an American company that controlled the El Teniente copper mine, allowed the use of its stadium in Rancagua.
Santiago Viña del Mar Rancagua Arica 1962 FIFA World Cup (Chile) | Santiago | Viña del Mar |
---|---|---|
Estadio Nacional | Estadio Sausalito | |
Capacity: 66,660 | Capacity: 18,037 | |
Rancagua | Arica | |
Estadio Braden Copper Co. | Estadio Carlos Dittborn | |
Capacity: 18,000 | Capacity: 17,786 | |
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