Palmeiras visit Cerro Porteño’s modern La Nueva Olla amid facial recognition push | OneFootball

Palmeiras face Cerro Porteño in the Libertadores on Wednesday at 21:30 Brasília time, in Asunción’s Estadio General Pablo Rojas, regarded as Paraguay’s most modern ground.

According to Nosso Palestra, the venue hosted the Copa Sudamericana finals in 2019 and 2024. It was rebuilt between 2015 and 2017 after its 1970 inauguration, reopening as La Nueva Olla.

Interior minister Enrique Riera has ordered mandatory facial recognition after violent incidents between Cerro and Olimpia on 19 April forced the clásico to be abandoned. The rollout is planned to be gradual, and there is an expectation it could be among the first to adopt it, with the technology credited for faster, safer access.

In Brazil, facial recognition became compulsory under the Lei Geral do Esporte and has drawn strong uptake among fans. Systems supplied by Imply have been installed at multiple arenas, and chief executive Tironi Paz Ortiz says the tool has curbed touting by tying non-transferable tickets to supporters’ faces, reduced fraud and streamlined entry.

La Nueva Olla’s refit added a 135 m² full-colour screen, pitchside LED panels and a next-generation access management system, all delivered by Imply. Since the reopening, Palmeiras have played there four times and won all four without conceding, beating Cerro 2-0 in 2018 and 2025, then 3-0 in 2022 and 2023.

Source: Nosso Palestra