The Flight of the Eagle: Soccer Matches at the Aztec Stadium

Mexico’s national sport is soccer, and Mexicans are passionate about the game, so a trip to Mexico City could well be graced with a visit to the Aztec Stadium to see a soccer match. The massive concrete structure located in the south of the capital, on Calzada de Tlalpan, now officially renamed Estadio Banorte, seats more than 100,000 people. It has been the site of two World Cup finals (1970 and 1986), and is the home ground for Mexico’s national team.

At one time, the stadium was home to four Mexico City first division teams, although Necaxa moved years ago to Aguascalientes where the team has a strong local following and high attendance at its games. Now the stadium houses Cruz Azul, the current champions, and América, nicknamed las Águilas or the Eagles. Atlante, which for years has been based in Cancún, is returning to the first division next season and will also play there.

There are two kinds of soccer fans in Mexico: those who support América and those who cheer on whoever is playing against América, regardless of who their favorite team is.

Among reasons given for hating the América team (apart from the head-scratching, “because it’s owned by Televisa,” the TV company), are that referees favor América in their decisions on the field. In years past, it was also claimed that other teams owned by Televisa let América win their games. This was frequently shown on the field to be nonsense, and now the point is moot, anyway, as Televisa no longer owns other first-division teams. In fact, Televisa doesn’t directly own América any more, either. The soccer club, along with the stadium and some gambling halls, was spun off in 2024.

The second most popular team in Mexico is Guadalajara. Among the liberal classes, the team of choice is often Pumas of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Admitting to one of these that you support América can be met with eyebrows raised in a look of incredulity, as much as if to say, “really, you ought to know better.” They suppose you must also watch soap operas.

Anyway, going to the Aztec Stadium is an exhilarating experience, particularly for a big match when there are likely to be anything from 60,000 to 80,000 spectators.

Some words of practical advice.

Get tickets before you go to the stadium, unless you plan to be there with plenty of time in hand. If you just show up an hour or so before a game, you will only be able to get tickets from touts for at least 50% more than the list price for regular matches, and double or more if it’s a “clásico,” such as América–Guadalajara or América–Pumas.

Buying from touts also risks being sold fake tickets which are checked and refused at the entry gate. Lines at the stadium’s box office —la taquilla— are long, ticket availability limited, and service painfully slow, even for games with relatively few spectators, so you are quite likely to miss the first part of the match. Tickets for events at the stadium can be purchased ahead of time from Fanki.

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