Vasco get City Hall green light to face Boca at São Januário

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·1 October 2026

Vasco get City Hall green light to face Boca at São Januário

Vasco took a decisive step behind the scenes on Wednesday afternoon (30) after receiving a positive signal from municipal agencies to host the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana semifinal against Boca Juniors at São Januário. In a meeting held at the Operations and Resilience Center (COR), which included CET-Rio and Ferj (Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation), Vasco’s top officials presented their plan and saw municipal authorities show full openness to operational adjustments, including expanding the area for visiting fans.

Despite the green light at the municipal level, the match can still only go ahead depending on the official position of the Military Police, which has not yet issued its final opinion on the street security plan. The club remains optimistic about cooperation from BEPE (Specialized Stadium Policing Battalion), understanding that approval from public security agencies will be the key piece to unlock the next institutional steps and prove the event’s technical feasibility.

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With the city government’s prior approval, Vasco is looking to speed up the diplomatic procedures to receive the opposing fans safely and comfortably at the São Januário complex. The leadership of the Buenos Aires club has already stated that it does not oppose playing the tie at the traditional Rio stadium, asking only for a larger ticket allocation than the usual capacity reserved for away supporters in order to accommodate its sizeable delegation in Rio de Janeiro.

Once it has the report from the state authorities, the continental governing body will be contacted directly by the president of the national confederation in an attempt to relax the minimum capacity clause of 30,000 seats. The talks aim to ease the resistance of president Alejandro Domínguez, while fans on social media recall the exception granted in 2025 to Independiente del Valle at a stadium with only 12,000 seats, an argument South American football officials try to distinguish based on the size of the fan bases involved.

?Maracanã option on hold

Given the progress in talks with municipal authorities, Vasco chose to put any legal action over the Maracanã on hold before making any move outside São Januário. The board already has the lawsuit ready after successive refusals from the rival consortium, but prefers to exhaust every possibility at home before taking the dispute to the civil courts and deciding on the most advantageous strategy for the institution.

The group led by Pedro Emanuel is keeping its routine at the training center completely shielded from the political discussions taking place at the club’s rowing headquarters and in public offices. The coaching staff wants the team focused on on-field adjustments to build a good result away from home and seal a place in the grand final in Barranquilla backed by massive support from its fans.