The initial step to kick off the construction of a new stadium to house Atlético Mineiro began in September 2017, with the approval by the club's Deliberative Council.

Rubens Menin, president of MRV Engenharia, Atlético's main sponsor, announced that he would donate the land where the stadium were to be built, a plot estimated to be worth R$60 million at the time, in the California neighborhood of Belo Horizonte.

Also as part of the agreement, MRV acquired the naming rights of the future arena for R$60 million for a period of ten years, with the possibility of extension.

The Arena MRV is located on a plot of land with 56 thousand square meters, in the Northwest Region of the city, on the banks of Avenida Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek, close to the Annual Rodoviario highway and the Eldorado Metro Station.

The club was also required to create a not-for-profit institution named "Instituto Galo", with the goal to reinforce the social interest character of the project.

Among them, the establishment of bike paths between the Arena and the Eldorado Metro Station and the creation of a program to protect the species of capetinho-do-oco-de-pau, a bird that is at risk of extinction.

[10] On 27 August 2023, Atlético made its debut in the arena, beating Santos 2–0 in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, with Paulinho scoring the first goal.