Key facts
Club: Junior de Barranquilla | Opening: 1986 | Capacity: 49,612 seats
History and description
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez replaced Junior’s old Estadio Romelio Martínez, which had become too small for the club.
Construction of the new stadium took 6 six years. It came at a cost of COP 1.3 billion, which was paid for by the city of Barranquilla, owner of the stadium.
Estadio Metropolitano officially opened on 11 May 1986 with a friendly between Junior and the Uruguay national team. The first goal was scored by Enzo Francescoli.
The stadium was one of the playing venues of the 2001 Copa América. It hosted all matches in Colombia’s group A.
Estadio Metropolitano could initially hold 60,000 spectators, which was reduced to just under 50,000 after it got extensively renovated for the 2011 U20 World Cup.
The stadium has in the last decade been the most used venue by the Colombia national team for official qualification matches.
Estadio Metropolitano is one of the host venues of the 2021 Copa America.
How to get to Estadio Metropolitano
Estadio Metropolitano is located in the far south of the city of Barranquilla, just inside the city’s ring road (Circunvalar). It lies about 6.5 kilometres from the city centre (centro) following the Calle Murillo in one straight line south.
The stadium lies furthermore about 10 kilometres from the upscale Washington area, which is toward the west of the centre.
Barranquilla’s main bus terminal (Terminal de Transportes) lies even further south, about 2.5 kilometres from the stadium.
The stadium can be reached with Barranquilla’s fixed lane modern Transmetro bus system. Station Joaquín Barrios Polo is a short 5-minute walk away from the stadium (follow the same avenue further south). The Transmetro can be boarded at the Calle Murillo, which runs just west of the centre, or at the Carrera Olaya Herrera, which runs from the city centre west toward the Washington area.
Address: Entre la Avenida Murillo y Avenida Circunvalar, Barranquilla
Junior Tickets
Tickets for Junior matches can be bought at the official club store at shopping centre Portal del Prado in the city centre, or at any of the other sales points, which include, for example, the Licores JK liquor store at Cra. 46 # 84–43
Tickets are generally also available at the ticket windows of the stadium from 3 hours before the start of the match.
Ticket prices range from COP 20,000 for a seat behind one of the goals to COP 80,000 for a seat at the main stand.
Photos of Estadio Metropolitano
Useful Internet links
Juniorbarranquilla.com – Official website of Junior de Barranquilla.
Transmetro.gov.co – Information on the Transmetro transport system.