Arena das Dunas

The Arena das Dunas is a football stadium in Natal, Brazil. The arena can shelter 31,375 spectators, and was designed by sports architect Christopher Lee of Populous. The stadium hosted football matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil. During the tournament, it had a seating capacity of 42,000. It was built in place of the Machadão, which was demolished in 2011.This project replaced an old project called "Estádio Estrela dos Reis Magos" that would have been located in the neighboring municipality of Parnamirim. In the new project, a shopping center and commercial buildings, hotels of international standard and an artificial lake around the stadium will be built.The stadium is located by the Senador Salgado Filho Avenue, a multi-lane road already served by the Complexo Viário do Quarto Centenário. The project was one of the most praised by inspectors from FIFA.