Azteca Stadium is one of the true cathedrals of world soccer.
Located in the suburb of Santa Ursula in Mexico City, the Azteca has hosted two World Cup finals (1970 and 1986) and some legendary matches—most notably the 1970 World Cup semifinals between Italy and West Germany (later dubbed the “Game of the Century”), and the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal between England and Argentina that saw Diego Maradona score his infamous “Hand of God” goal and his famous “Goal of the Century” just minutes apart.
With a seating capacity of roughly 108,000, the Azteca is an intimidating fortress, renowned for its amazing atmosphere on match day thanks to a din of noise created by the passionate fans and for opposing teams wilting under the pressure—to say nothing of the heat, altitude (it’s 7,349 feet above sea level) and the smog from the city.
Wednesday programming alert: Watch Club America vs. Montreal Impact in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final live on Sportsnet World. Coverage starts at 9:00 pm ET/6:00 pm PT. || Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule
Azetca will stage the opening leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final on Wednesday between Mexican side Club America and the Montreal Impact of MLS.
Just what, exactly, can the Impact expect from playing at this iconic stadium? Sportsnet spoke to three former internationals—Paul Dolan and Craig Forrest (Canada) and Lloyd Barker (Jamaica)—to get their insight on what it was like for an opposing player to play at Azteca.
THE NOISE
Dolan: It sounds like a beehive, this drone for the entire match. What I love about stadiums like Azteca is that when you’re in the dressing room you feel as though you’re in the bowels. You hear the rumbling from the fans in the terraces while you’re in the dressing room and then you come up the stairs that lead to the pitch—it’s like going out onto a stage because you have to cross a moat and it’s packed, and it just sounds like a beehive. Because it’s a somewhat covered stadium, and the stands are so steep and it’s so grand, with over 100,000 people in there, it keeps the noise in perfectly. It is, by far, the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced. I’ve played in Wembley and Stadio Olimpico in Rome and a lot of other famous stadiums, but there’s nothing like the Azteca—nothing comes close to matching the atmosphere there. Nothing.
Forrest: It buzzes like a bee hive. Even when it’s relatively quiet it still buzzes because there so many people in there. It’s so big and so historic, it’s amazing. It gets louder when their opponents start to fade. You can’t get close, you can’t get the ball off them, and it makes it so much worse. You start to implode.
Barker: It’s loud there. I describe it as the sound of being in a bee’s nest. You really don’t hear yourself think. There’s just so much noise. You feel like your choking.
THE INTIMIDATION FACTOR
Dolan: It kind of is, but while you’d think it’d be overwhelming, as a Canadian who didn’t often play in that kind of atmosphere, I found it quite invigorating. The noise when you step onto the field is quite an incredible feeling—you have 100,000 people whose sole intention is on this match and they’re so passionate that it lifts you up. Once the game starts and you hear that crowd with the “Oles” and chants, you just know it’s going to be wave after wave of attack, and it becomes a game of survival.
Forrest: I loved playing there. During the game I could enjoy it more than outfield players, the atmosphere and the buzz of the fans. For the outfield players, I’m sure they hated it because its physically so tough playing at altitude and it takes the life out of you. You can’t hear yourself think and you’re concentrating on taking in your next breathe.
THE FANS
Dolan: I don’t want to make this sound like other countries in Central America aren’t civilized, but at Azteca it’s almost as though they’re expecting to win the game, and they’re enjoying the atmosphere and they’re always in control. So the fans aren’t as dire and desperate in other parts of Central America where they’ll do everything to throw your game, including tossing bags of urine at you. I didn’t find that at Azteca.
Forrest: I feel like other stadiums in Central America are less safe. I never worried about my safety at Azteca. There’s a moat around the field and there are soldiers acting as security around the pitch, so you never felt as though the fans were going to get to you. Also, they didn’t dislike us (Canada) because they knew they were better than us—we weren’t a threat to them. I’m sure they feel differently about the U.S. or Costa Rica. It’s not as hostile as stadiums in Costa Rica where they throw stuff at you—you won’t get that Azteca.
Barker: It’s just the noise. The fans are so into football, and love their team. It’s nothing like we see here—they’ll do whatever they can to help their team, and show support, and do whatever they can in their power, whether it’s legal or illegal, moral or immoral, to help their team get the upper hand. If you go there thinking you’re going to get roses thrown at you, you landed in the wrong building.
THE ALTITUDE
Dolan: I was sitting next to Paul Peschisolido on the bench in one game, and he was subbed on and subbed off in 30 minutes. He was shattered. That tells you the toll the altitude will take on you. It’s so hard to get up to the speed of the game, and the altitude is the biggest factor for that.
Forrest: The flight of the ball is very different at altitude. For goalkeepers, you have to adjust because through balls and crosses carry a bit more than they normally do. It forces you to adjust your judgement on the pace of the ball and its flight; you have to take all of that into account. So it’s very different for goalkeepers. It’s also different for outfield players. I can remember a World Cup qualifier where we were 0-0 at half time. I was excited and I was about to pump up the guys in locker room at the break. Then I looked around the dressing room and there were guys with froth coming out of their mouths and others who were throwing up, they were spent. I realized how tough it was.
Barker: The altitude gets to you in a way that by the 30th minute you feel like you’re swallowing your tongue.
ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE?
Dolan: Oh yeah, big time. Big time. To me there is nothing like it, honestly. It’s the single best stadium I’ve ever been in. They’ve played World Cup finals there. It’s not a beautiful stadium from the outside but inside, the steepness of the stands and everything else, it’s just iconic and that sinks in when you’re standing there for the anthems.
Forrest: Absolutely. I couldn’t wait to go there to train the days before the game and look around, get a feeling for it. When it was empty it was still very intimidating. It’s an amazing place. But I loved every second of it—even when we were getting thumped. Azteca is one of those stadiums where it’ll always be a highlight of your career, something you’ll always remember.
Barker: It’s a special place to play. It’s fantastic, historic building to play in. There are 100 000 people rooting against you but it’s something to treasure. It really, really is. It’s intimidating, but it’s something to treasure.
