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Punta del Este and the 2026 Libertadores final: beach first, Centenario after
The 2026 Copa Libertadores final will be played on Saturday 28 November at the Estadio Centenario (Centenary Stadium) in Montevideo. If you have found a place to stay in Punta del Este, or you fancy adding a few beach days to the trip, this piece is for you. The basics of the final (tickets, getting to Uruguay and what to see in the capital) are in our guide to the final in Montevideo.
How far Punta del Este is from Montevideo
By road it is between 130 and 140 kilometres. By coach the journey takes about two hours: several companies run the route from the Terminal Tres Cruces, the country's main coach station.
Carrasco International Airport is on your way. It lies about 20 kilometres east of central Montevideo, in other words on the side of the coast that faces Punta del Este. If you are flying in from Brazil or Argentina, you can go straight from the plane to the beach.
Match night
A final finishes late, and later still if there is extra time and penalties. Then comes getting out of the stadium, the traffic and a couple of hours on the road. Two sensible options:
- Book a transfer or a car with driver for the return, with the time agreed in advance.
- Spend a night in Montevideo and head back to the beach on Sunday.
Kick-off time is confirmed by CONMEBOL: check it before you book.
Fancy placing stadiums on a map with no names? Try it for free on GeoFútbol (in Spanish or Portuguese).
What to see in Punta del Este
La Mano. At stop 1 on Playa Brava, five giant fingers rise out of the sand. They were made by the Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal in February 1982, during an open-air sculpture gathering, and he finished them in six days. It is also known as Los Dedos (The Fingers). Take your photo without worrying: it is the only hand in Uruguay that no VAR will ever review.
Mansa and Brava. The peninsula has two faces. Playa Mansa looks onto the Río de la Plata and has calm waters; Playa Brava faces the Atlantic Ocean and its waves belong to the surfers. High season runs from December to February, so at the end of November you will arrive just before summer.
The port and the islands. Boat trips leave the port for Isla Gorriti, a nature reserve with beaches that makes a good day out. About 8 kilometres off the coast lies Isla de Lobos, with one of the largest sea lion colonies in the western hemisphere and a 59-metre lighthouse.
Casapueblo. At Punta Ballena, about 13 kilometres away, the Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró spent 36 years building this white "habitable sculpture". At sunset, a recording of his voice bids the sun farewell with a poem.
José Ignacio. About 30 kilometres away, a fishing village that became an exclusive retreat, with a lighthouse from 1877.
Football near the beach
Maldonado is home to the Estadio Domingo Burgueño Miguel (Domingo Burgueño Miguel Stadium), the ground of Deportivo Maldonado. At the 1995 Copa América, Brazil played their semi-final there and beat the United States 1 to 0. In 2023 it hosted the Copa Sudamericana final between Fortaleza and Liga de Quito, decided on penalties in favour of the Ecuadorians. Brazilian fans already know the way.
And if you want to reach the final knowing exactly where you stand, read the full story in our piece on the Estadio Centenario.
Between one beach and the next, put your football memory to the test. Play GeoFútbol today, it's free (in Spanish or Portuguese).