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Estadio Deportivo Cali is the home ground of the Deportivo Cali football club. It’s located northeast of Cali, Colombia.
Introduction to Estadio Deportivo Cali
The groundbreaking ceremony for Estadio Deportivo Cali, also called Estadio de Palmaseca, took place on August, 24, 2001, and the first game was played on October 29, 2008. The official opening was on February 21, 2010. It was designed by José Vicente Viteri and is currently the second largest stadium in Colombia (as of June 2025). Deportivo Cali is the only team in the country that owns its own stadium.
The stadium sits in a field near Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport. It originally had a capacity of 61,890, but that has since been reduced to 42,000. Unfortunately, due to evacuation safety and limited road access, capacity is capped at around 25,000 or 30,000. Also, it’s interesting to note that the location of the stadium had to be shifted 250 meters after Pre-Columbian remains were found at the construction site.
Although tickets have seat numbers, the only thing that’s enforced is the section of the stadium. The east tribune is a bleacher section while the west tribune is more expensive and many are box seats. On both the east and west sides, there are huge blocks of suites. The ultras are located on the south side standing and chanting during the entire game, while the north side is more tame like the other sections.
Deportivo Cali vs Envigado
My experience at Estadio Deportivo Cali was to see Deportivo Cali play Envigado in a league match on November 5, 2016. It would be my very first football game in Colombia. As for the game, Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful clubs in Colombian football histor, and they were playing an important game near the end of the season.
Marisol’s cousin Wilson bought the tickets a few days early and drove us to the stadium. We pulled up to the parking lot about 45 minutes before game time and walked to the gates. Security guards patted everyone down and checked bags before we were allowed to enter. From there, we made our way to our seats.
As for the game, it wasn’t very exciting overall. Deportivo Cali started off with a strong attack in the first 10 minutes, but play slowed down until a 35th minute goal by Harold Preciado.
After halftime, there were no real chances and very little action until the final 15 minutes of the game when things started to get a bit chippy. There were some hard fouls and we thought a few of the players were ready to start brawling, but the contest ended with a whimper. Deportivo Cali walked away with a 1-0 victory.
My Thoughts on the Stadium
While it’s a decent place to see a game, the stadium is definitely lacking some amenities that should be expected, including a scoreboard, a clock, and public address announcements. We had no idea how much time had passed in the game or who was coming into the game during substitutions.
Concession stands inside the stadium sold drinks and snacks at reasonable prices. Hot dogs and hamburgers were the available foods, and there was also beer for sale. The food is below fast food standards so don’t expect anything extraordinary.
