The arena was built at the location of the old Cilindro Municipal, after it was left in a dilapidated state after a fire.

Before the Antel Arena could be constructed, the old Cilindro Municipal had to be demolished.

[5] The arena was used to host home games of the senior men's Uruguayan national basketball team, during 2019 FIBA World Cup Americas qualifiers.

The arena was also included as a proposed host venue, as a part of the Argentina–Uruguay bid for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

However, the right to host the 2023 FIBA World Cup was ultimately won by the rival Philippine–Japanese–Indonesian bid.