Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui

The Estadio Olímpico General José Antonio Anzoátegui does not sit quietly on the edge of town. Built in 1965 as Estadio Luis Ramos, it stood there for decades before being pulled down and raised again in time for the Copa América 2007. The rebuild, managed by the state government, brought in 3,000 tons of steel and an 800-ton roof.

What makes the place different is not the capacity, which sits at 37,485, or the Bermuda grass. The stadium fell silent in the 2011 World Cup qualifier against Argentina when Fernando Amorebieta scored the winning goal — nearly 40,000 fans watched the visitors leave without a point, a result that keeps the ground in the record books more than it does for club football.

Deportivo Anzoátegui call it home, though the last major international match came in 2012 when Venezuela played Chile. The venue has hosted concerts, from Wisin & Yandel in 2008 to Luis Fonsi in 2011, and in November 2024 it underwent further renovations to host the opening ceremony of the Juegos Deportivos Nacionales Oriente 2024. Money has come for the hosts in the shape of state investment, but the stadium itself, with its tall white floodlight mast and distant green hills, remains a fixture of the landscape rather than a revolving door of teams.