What is the seating capacity of Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes?

Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes seats 34,253 including 92 luxury boxes. The stadium opened on October 6, 1946, making it nearly 80 years old, one of the oldest active football venues in Mexico.

Where is Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes located?

The stadium is at Calle Indiana 255, in the Ciudad de los Deportes neighbourhood of Mexico City (Alcaldía Benito Juárez), C.P. 03710. It sits adjacent to the Plaza de Toros México bullring.

What team plays at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes?

Club América currently plays home matches here while Estadio Azteca undergoes renovations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The stadium was previously home to Cruz Azul (1996-2018, briefly 2024) and Atlante at various periods.

How do I get to Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes by Metro?

The nearest Metro stations are San Pedro de los Pinos (Line 7, about a 10-minute walk), Etiopía/Plaza de la Transparencia (Line 3), and Hospital 20 de Noviembre (Line 3). A single Metro ride costs 5 MXN ($0.25 USD).

Is there parking at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes?

The stadium has no dedicated parking lot, a consequence of being built in a dense urban neighbourhood in 1946. Street parking is extremely limited. Use Metro, Metrobús, or rideshare instead.

Why was the stadium called Estadio Azul?

The name 'Estadio Azul' (Blue Stadium) was adopted in 1996 when Cruz Azul, whose team color is blue, moved in as the primary tenant. The stadium was renamed Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in 2018 when Cruz Azul returned to Estadio Azteca.

How far is Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes from the airport?

Mexico City International Airport (MEX) is approximately 17 km (11 miles) east, about 25-45 minutes by car depending on traffic. By Metro, take Line 5 from Terminal Aérea, transfer to Line 3, exit at Etiopía (about 50 minutes, 5 MXN).

Was the first NFL game outside the US played here?

Yes. On August 5, 1978, the New Orleans Saints defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 14-7 in the first NFL regular-season game played outside the United States, before 30,546 fans.

Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City: Visitor Guide

About Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes

In a dense Mexico City neighbourhood, a 34,253-seat stadium opened on October 6, 1946, has carried four names in nearly 80 years, and was built into a former brickworks pit where the playing field sits below street level.

The sunken design is the first thing you notice, you walk down to your seat, not up. The stadium was constructed in the pit left by the Ladrillera brickworks, giving it a natural bowl that solved the problem of building a large venue in an already-crowded city. Next door sits the Plaza de Toros México, the world’s largest bullring, built the same year, together they form the Ciudad de los Deportes (Sports City) complex.

The stadium’s tenants have changed repeatedly. Club América played here from 1947 to 1955. Atlante came and went across multiple stints. Cruz Azul made it home from 1996 to 2018, the “Estadio Azul” era, before returning briefly in 2024. In January 2025, Cruz Azul relocated to the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, then to Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla. Club América is the current primary tenant, using the venue while Estadio Azteca undergoes renovations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In November 2024, authorities temporarily closed the stadium for lacking safety certifications, a reminder that a nearly 80-year-old venue in one of the world’s largest cities faces constant pressure between historic preservation and modern standards. It reopened five days later with new regulations.

Getting to Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes

Public Transit

The Mexico City Metro is the best way to reach this stadium, the venue has no parking, and match-day traffic in this neighbourhood is brutal.

→ Via Metro Line 7: San Pedro de los Pinos station is a 10-minute walk east to the stadium. This is the closest stop.

→ Via Metro Line 3: Etiopía/Plaza de la Transparencia station is a 12-minute walk. Hospital 20 de Noviembre station is also within walking distance.

→ Via Metrobús Line 1: The Poliforum stop on Avenida Insurgentes is about a 15-minute walk west to the stadium.

Metro fare is 5 MXN ($0.25 USD) per ride. The system runs until midnight, time your return carefully for evening matches.

Driving + Parking

The stadium address is Calle Indiana 255, Ciudad de los Deportes, Benito Juárez, 03810, Mexico City.

→ From the Zócalo / Centro Histórico (~8 km): South on Eje Central or Insurgentes Sur. About 20-35 minutes depending on traffic.

→ From Polanco (~7 km): South via Paseo de la Reforma to Insurgentes Sur. About 20-30 minutes.

→ From Coyoacán (~6 km): North via Insurgentes. About 15-25 minutes.

There is no dedicated parking lot. The stadium was built in 1946 in a dense neighbourhood with no space for surface lots. Street parking is extremely limited and heavily restricted on match days. Take the Metro or rideshare.

Rideshare

Uber and DiDi are widely available. From Centro Histórico, expect 60-100 MXN ($3-$5 USD). From Polanco, 70-120 MXN. After matches, walk a few blocks toward Insurgentes before requesting your ride, the streets around the stadium become gridlocked.

From the Airport

→ Mexico City International (MEX): About 17 km (11 miles) east, 25-45 minutes by car. By Metro, take Line 5 from Terminal Aérea, transfer at Pantitlán to Line 9, transfer at Tacubaya to Line 7, exit at San Pedro de los Pinos (about 50 minutes, 5 MXN). Rideshare runs 150-300 MXN ($8-$15 USD).

Construction & Design

Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes was one man’s fantasy of a sports city. In the 1940s the businessman Neguib Simón imagined a whole complex of arenas on the southern edge of Mexico City, and he hired the engineer Modesto C. Rolland to build it. Only two pieces were ever finished: this stadium and the Plaza México bullring next door, both opened in 1946 in the pit left behind by a clay quarry. Building down into the excavation, rather than up from flat ground, gave the stadium its defining trait, a bowl sunk below street level where spectators walk down to their seats.

The result is intimate and a little strange. About 34,253 seats ring a pitch that sits below the surrounding streets, close to the action in a way modern bowls rarely are, and the whole thing is wedged so tightly into the Benito Juárez borough that it has no parking lot of its own. Rolland, a Revolution-era engineer known for ambitious concrete work, gave it a simple, functional shape that has proven remarkably durable: eighty years on, the building is still standing and still hosting top-flight football.

The names have changed more than the structure. It opened as the Estadio Olímpico de la Ciudad de los Deportes, became Estadio Azulgrana during Atlante’s tenancy, then Estadio Azul for the two decades Cruz Azul called it home, and reverted to Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in 2018. When Estadio Azteca closed for its 2026 World Cup renovation, the old sunken bowl found new life as a temporary top-flight home again, most steadily for Club América.

History of Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes

Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes was built in the mid-1940s as part of Mexico City’s ambitious Ciudad de los Deportes complex, alongside the Plaza de Toros México bullring. Both venues opened in 1946, transforming a former brickworks site into a sports district.

Opening (October 6, 1946): The stadium opened as Estadio Olímpico de la Ciudad de los Deportes with a capacity of approximately 35,000, one of the largest football venues in Mexico at the time.

Club América Era (1947-1955): Club América was the stadium’s first major tenant, playing here before moving to Estadio Azteca when it opened in 1966.

First NFL Game Outside the US (August 5, 1978): The New Orleans Saints defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 14-7 before 30,546 fans, the first NFL regular-season game ever played outside the United States, predating the London Games by 29 years.

Estadio Azulgrana (1983-1996): Renamed for Atlante’s blue-and-red (azulgrana) team colours during their tenure as primary tenant.

Cruz Azul and the Estadio Azul Era (1996-2018): Cruz Azul moved in and gave the stadium its most recognized name, “Estadio Azul”, for 22 years. The venue was renovated in 1996, 2004, and 2010 during this period.

2024-Present, Club América: With Estadio Azteca under renovation for the 2026 World Cup, Club América returned to the stadium where it played in the 1940s and 50s. In November 2024, authorities briefly closed the venue over safety concerns before reopening it with new regulations.

For most fans, this is still the Estadio Azul. Cruz Azul moved in during 1996 and stayed for twenty-two years, painting the place in the club’s cobalt blue and turning it into one of the loudest grounds in Liga MX. It was here that Cruz Azul won the 1997 title and then began the long championship drought that became a national punchline, always almost, never quite, until the club finally broke it in 2021. When Cruz Azul left for a renovated Azteca in 2018, the stadium shed the blue and took back its original civic name.

From its sunken brickworks origins to the first NFL game outside America, Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes is where nearly 80 years of Mexican sports history lives, a venue that has outlasted four names, a dozen tenants, and the constant threat of demolition.

Sources & Further Reading

Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes official history: estadiocdd.com. The Neguib Simón and Modesto Rolland origin story.
Mediotiempo, on engineer Modesto C. Rolland: mediotiempo.com. The designer’s biography.
Mexico City government venue page: mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx. Capacity, address, and naming history.
Wikipedia, Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estadio_Ciudad_de_los_Deportes. Tenancy and event history.