Arena das Dunas was built for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and hosted four group stage matches. The stadium seats about 42,000 and was designed to evoke the dunes of the surrounding landscape — the roof structure and facade use a curved form meant to suggest wind-shaped sand. It replaced the old Machadão stadium that had served as Natal's main football ground for decades.
Today the stadium is the home ground of América-RN and ABC Futebol Clube, the two main local football clubs. Attending a match when one of them is playing is a genuinely lively experience — Brazilian football crowds are enthusiastic and the stadium's setting on the western outskirts of town is easy to reach. Stadium tours are available on non-match days.