Estadio Omnilife

Lore & Background

The stadium hosted its first major international event with the first leg of the 2010 Finals of the Copa Libertadores, and hosted the 2011 Pan American Games opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium's artificial field caused great controversy, drawing criticism from many notable players, and in May 2012, it was announced that the stadium would replace the artificial turf with natural grass. The stadium is confirmed to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, though the specific round and number of matches have yet to be determined.

In Their Own Story

The bus from the Chivas training facility in Tlaquepaque pulls up at 15:40. The doors open, and the first heads to appear are the veterans—men in their sixties with faded scarves, women with children on their shoulders, teenagers clutching hand-painted shields. The tunnel is a corridor of red noise, a pressurised throat. Then the floodlights catch the grass, and the pitch is a green rectangle floating in a sea of crimson. A child in the upper tier holds a sign: 'CHIVAS HASTA LA TUMBA.' The goalkeeper stretches. The striker taps the ball against his boot. And then the whistle, and forty-nine thousand people inhale as one, and the stadium is no longer a building. It is a living thing, breathing, roaring, alive.

Reader's Guide

The stadium complex has more than 7 hectares of dedicated green space and a 'green skin' covering the outer edges of the stadium berm. This creates an architectural motif of a cloud over a volcano, hence the stadium's nickname as the 'Volcano Stadium'. Native species, like oak varieties, are used to evoke the flora of La Primavera forest. Rainwater is collected from the complex and directed to a storage tank to be filtered for non-potable use. Wastewater is transported to the JVC Center's treatment plant and then used for irrigation and other non-potable uses.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was originally named Estadio Omnilife, then Estadio Chivas, and is now Estadio Akron.
• The stadium's artificial turf was replaced with natural grass in July 2012 after criticism.
• The stadium hosted the first leg of the 2010 Copa Libertadores Finals.
• The stadium is a confirmed venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the exact number of matches and rounds are still to be announced.
• The stadium is nicknamed the 'Volcano Stadium' due to its architectural motif.