Estadio Azteca

Estadio Azteca (Spanish pronunciation: [esˈtaðjo aθˈteka], Aztec Stadium) is a stadium in Santa Ursula, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América.

The stadium was the venue for football soccer in the 1968 Summer Olympics.^[2]

In the 1970 World Cup final, Brazil defeated Italy 4:1 and in the 1986 World Cup final, Argentina defeated West Germany 3:2 (both finals produced five goals). It also hosted the 1986 quarter-final between Argentina and England in which Diego Maradona scored both the "Hand of God goal" and the "Goal of the Century". The stadium also hosted the "Game of the Century", when Italy defeated West Germany 4-3 in extra time in one of the 1970 semifinals. With a capacity of 105,064, it is the largest stadium in Latin America, fifth largest in the world and the largest soccer-specific stadium in the world.

History

The opening game was between Club América and Torino F.C. on May 26, 1966, with seats for 107,494 spectators. The first goal was scored by Brazilian Arlindo Dos Santos Cruz and the second one by Brazilian José Alves "Zague"; later, the Italians tied the game, which ended 2-2. Mexican president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz made the initial kick and FIFA president Sir Stanley Rous was the witness.

A modern illumination system was inaugurated on June 5, 1966 with the first night game between Valencia C.F. and Necaxa. The first goal of the game was scored by Honduran José Cardona. In this game Roberto Martínez o Caña Brava scored the first goal made by a Mexican. The final score was 3-1 in favor of Valencia C.F..

There is a commemorative plaque with the names of the first goal scorer in the first daylight match and in the first night game.

Estadio Azteca is also the site in which Pelé, and Diego Maradona (during the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cup), considered by many as the two best football players of all time, lifted the trophy for the last time (The Jules Rimet Trophy and the current FIFA World Cup Trophy, respectively).

The stadium has also hosted international club tournaments such at the Copa InterAmericana and the Copa Libertadores de América.

Estadio Azteca has also been used for musical performances throughout its history. Michael Jackson (5 sold-out shows in 1993),^[3] U2 (in 2006 and 2011), Luis Miguel (in 2002), Elton John, Maná, Juan Gabriel, Gloria Estefan, Jaguares, Lenny Kravitz, *Nsync, Hanson, Ana Gabriel, and The Three Tenors all have become part of the stadium's main spectacle. The stadium has also been used for political events, including Mexican president Felipe Calderón's campaign closure in 2006, as well as religious events, like the appearance of Pope John Paul II in 1999.^[4]

Notable events

Estadio Azteca has hosted a variety of international sporting competitions, including:

• 1968 Summer Olympics
• 1970 FIFA World Cup
• 1975 Pan American Games
• 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship
• 1986 FIFA World Cup
• 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup
• 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup
• On October 2, 2005, the first international regular-season game in the history of the NFL was played in the stadium between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals. The game was a 31–14 victory for the Cardinals and held the record of the largest crowd to attend a regular season NFL game with 103,467.
• On 20 February 1993 Julio César Chávez fought Greg Haugen in front of 132,247 spectators.
• In October and November 1993, Michael Jackson finished the Dangerous World Tour with 5 sold out shows at this stadium, for 550,000 people.
• On 14 May 2011, irish rock band U2 presented the 360° Tour scoring the most-attended concert on the tour with a total attendance of 110,000 people

Access and entrance

It is served by the Azteca station on the Xochimilco Light Rail line. This line is an extension of the Mexico City metro system which begins at Metro Tasqueña station and ends in the Xochimilco Light Rail Station.

Tickets are available, up to kick-off times, from the ticket office which is located at the front of the stadium, just down the exit ramps from the Azteca station. Tickets start from as little as 150 pesos (12 U.S. Dollars as of 2010). For bigger matches such as Club América's games against Chivas de Guadalajara, Cruz Azul and UNAM Pumas where sellouts are common, numerous touts circulate offering tickets at competitive prices.

Name

The name "Azteca" is a tribute to the Aztec heritage of Mexico City. The stadium has never been the Olympic Stadium. This role in 1968 was for Estadio Olímpico Universitario. The stadium is now owned by Mexican TV consortium Televisa. In order to avoid people associating the stadium's name with that of its rival TV Azteca, Televisa officially changed the stadium's name to Guillermo Cañedo, a top executive, long-time football advocate at Televisa and prominent member of the executive committee of FIFA. The change took place in 1997, following Cañedo's death on January 20, 1997.^[5] However the change did not go well with the general population, who generally refused to refer to the stadium by its formally new name. Following a schism where two of Cañedo's sons, who worked at Televisa, switched camps and went to TV Azteca,^[6] Televisa quietly returned the stadium's name to its original version. Some people did not even notice, as they usually referred to the stadium as "Azteca" during the name change.

The stadium has been given the nickname of "Coloso de Santa Ursula" which, in English, means "Colossus of Saint Ursula", due to its large structure. Santa Ursula refers to the part of town where the stadium resides in Mexico City.

Monuments and Memorials

A bronze plaque of Maradona's "Goal of the Century" was placed outside the stadium. In addition, a monument memorializes the "Game of the Century."

See also

• List of football stadiums in Mexico

References

Further reading

• "Magical memories live on in the vaunted Azteca" - fifaworldcup.com - FIFA

External links

• Official Site of the Estadio Azteca
• Azteca Stadium at Footballmatch