Liverpool Football Club is one of the most decorated institutions in world football.
Founded in 1892, the Reds have won 20 English top-flight titles and 13 European titles, making them the most successful English club in continental competition.
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Anfield has hosted some of the sport’s defining nights, from the 2005 Champions League final comeback in Istanbul to Jurgen Klopp’s treble-chasing side of 2021-22. The club’s global fanbase spans continents, and its name carries weight far beyond Merseyside.
With Andoni Iraola taking over as head coach this summer, the Reds want to bring back the glory days after losing their Premier League title to Arsenal last season.
That reach extends to South America, where a Uruguayan club has carried the Liverpool name and colours since 1915.
Liverpool Futbol Club, based in Montevideo, adopted the identity because of historic trade links between the two port cities, and has built its own honours list in Uruguay, including a first Primera Division title in 2023.
Reports from Uruguayan outlets have tracked the Montevideo club’s stadium project for months, detailing construction timelines and design plans.
The latest update, carried by news outlet Montevideo.com, adds a new detail: a potential link between the two clubs bearing the Liverpool name.
According to Montevideo.com, Jose Luis Palma, president of Liverpool FC Montevideo, has given details on when the club’s new stadium in the Belvedere neighbourhood will open, and said he wants the opening match to be against Liverpool of England.
Palma said the build “is an 18-month construction project.”
Speaking on Canal 10’s Punto Penal programme, he added: “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, which I don’t foresee, the stadium will be inaugurated in February or March of 2028.”
The Uruguayan club demolished the old Estadio Belvedere and began groundwork earlier this year, according to Uruguayan outlet El Observador.
The new venue will hold between 15,000 and 20,000 spectators across two tiers of covered stands on all four sides, with a walkway connecting the rings and lookout points over the city.
Palma confirmed the stadium will keep the Belvedere name rather than a tribute name once floated by the president himself, “El Templo.” He said the club wants to avoid dividing opinion among supporters over naming individual stands after club figures. Instead, the four stands will be called Norte, Sur, Este and Oeste – north, south, east and west.
On the proposed opening fixture, Palma said he intends the first match at the new ground to be “against Liverpool of England.”
He explained why the club has not yet sent a formal proposal to the English side: “Because we want to be better dressed,” meaning Liverpool Montevideo wants the stadium project further advanced before approaching its English namesake.
Palma also addressed the venue’s commercial naming rights, saying the club plans to sell them once construction is complete, citing recent naming-rights deals struck by other South American clubs as a benchmark for potential revenue.