Estadio Jalisco

Lore & Background

The stadium also hosted six games in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, including the third-place game.

In Their Own Story

The bus pulls into the parking lot at 15:40, forty minutes before kickoff. The players step out into a wall of sound so dense it feels physical — a low, rolling bass of drums and voices that vibrates through the soles of their boots. The captain pauses at the tunnel entrance, looks up at the lower tier, and sees a sea of red-and-white scarves rippling like a single organism. A child in the front row, no more than six, holds a hand-painted sign: 'REBAÑO, NUNCA TE VAS A RINDIR.' The captain mouths the words back, smiles, and turns toward the pitch. The floodlights hum to life above. Fifty thousand people inhale as one. The first whistle is almost an afterthought; the match, for the Chiveros, has already been won in the singing.

Reader's Guide

The stadium hosted eight matches in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, including six group matches, a quarterfinal, and the semifinal in which Brazil defeated Uruguay 3-1. It hosted six matches in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, including all three group matches involving Brazil, a round-of-16 match, a quarterfinal, and a semifinal. Brazil played in every single game the stadium hosted except one of the semifinals where it was hoped Brazil would play as well but it didn't happen as the French men's national football team defeated Brazil on penalties in the quarterfinals. On 31 January 2017, Clubes Unidos de Jalisco announced a renovation project to replace seating, replace the deteriorating roof, remodel dressing rooms and add a large 360 degree screen above the field. The 360 screen was set to debut during the match vs Tigres UANL on 8 September 2017; however, it was determined that the match would be suspended due to the screen being installed merely 8 meters above the field, thus making it impossible for regular gameplay.

Did You Know?

• The stadium opened in 1960, not 1986, and hosted the 1970 World Cup.
• Chivas' previous home ground was Estadio Jalisco itself; they moved to Estadio Akron in 2010.
• Chivas no longer plays at Estadio Jalisco; it now serves Atlas and Club Universidad de Guadalajara.
• The stadium hosted six matches in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, not eight.