Peru obtained its first football-based field in the late 19th century, when the club Unión Cricket asked the Municipality of Lima for an appropriate piece of land where they could play football.

It had small wooden stands that were later donated to the Estadio Teodoro Lolo Fernandez when it was demolished to make way for the new stadium which would host the 1953 South American Championship.

The ceremony included an award ceremony for many outstanding athletes including Teodoro Fernández, Alejandro Villanueva, Jorge Alcalde, Olympic gold medalist Edwin Vásquez and Pan American gold medalists Julia Sánchez and Gerardo Salazar.

Argentina led the match 1–0 during the second half and in the final minutes Peru equalized; however the Uruguayan referee Ángel Eduardo Pazos disallowed the goal.

A riot ensued outside the stadium and led the President Fernando Belaúnde Terry to declare a state of emergency which would last for a month.

In 1971, the playoff match for the 1971 Copa Libertadores Finals was played in Peru and featured Uruguayan Nacional and Argentine Estudiantes de La Plata.

Thanks to a five million dollar government investment program to remodel older Peruvian stadiums, spectators were able to enjoy games with the high standards required by CONMEBOL for the 2004 Copa América.

In return the country received throngs of tourists, international media coverage, and more locals buying tickets to attend the games.

Peru's biggest stadium, Estadio Monumental, is also located in Lima with a capacity of 80,093 and belongs to local club Universitario de Deportes although it was not used for the Copa América 2004.

The artificial turf still remains in the Estadio Nacional but has received heavy criticism from clubs of the Peruvian First Division, asking to remove it because of the constant injuries it causes.

[6] This is also the reason why the Peru national football team did not play its games in the Estadio Nacional for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

The stadium underwent major renovations in 2010 in a bid to the 2015 Pan American Games which included the construction of 371 luxury boxes, 703 underground parking spaces, a new tower with a panoramic gourmet restaurant among other improvements.

The stadium is also used for other kind of activities such as concerts including: Media related to Estadio Nacional del Perú at Wikimedia Commons