Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez

About Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez

Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez sits inside Parque Federal El Chamizal in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua — just 150 meters from the Rio Grande and the US-Mexico border. With 19,703 seats, it’s the smallest stadium in Liga MX and one of the most uniquely located: fans in El Paso, Texas can literally see the stadium lights from across the river.

FC Juárez — nicknamed the Bravos — have been the primary tenants since joining Liga MX in 2019. The stadium is owned by the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), which acquired it from the federal government in 1986. The dual-use facility features a full Olympic athletics track surrounding the pitch, giving it a different feel from purpose-built football stadiums.

The venue was built in 1980 and inaugurated by President José López Portillo on October 2, 1980. At that time, Ciudad Juárez had no top-flight football team — the stadium served primarily as an athletics venue and for occasional international friendlies. FC Juárez’s promotion to Liga MX in 2019 transformed the ground into a proper first-division home, though its sub-20,000 capacity required a league waiver since Liga MX officially mandates 20,000 seats minimum.

The cross-border dynamic is the stadium’s most distinctive feature. FC Juárez runs a free shuttle bus from the Paso del Norte Bridge on match days, allowing fans from El Paso to park on the US side, walk across the bridge, and ride directly to the stadium. This binational fan base — drawn from both sides of the largest international metro area in the Western Hemisphere (2.7 million combined) — gives match days at Benito Juárez a character no other Liga MX venue can replicate.

Getting to Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez

Public Transit

The stadium sits inside Chamizal Park, accessible by city buses and the club’s match-day shuttle.

The free FC Juárez shuttle is the recommended option for cross-border fans — it eliminates the need to navigate Mexican city traffic and parking.

Driving + Parking

GPS address: Av. Heroico Colegio Militar 51, Chamizal, 32300 Ciudad Juárez.

The stadium parking lot holds approximately 1,500 vehicles within the Chamizal Park grounds. Street parking is available along Av. Heroico Colegio Militar. US-based fans can park at the city lot near the Paso del Norte Bridge in El Paso and take the free shuttle instead.

Rideshare

Uber and DiDi operate in Ciudad Juárez but cannot cross the US-Mexico border. From CJS airport to the stadium, expect MXN $100-150 (USD $6-9). InDriver is also available with negotiable fares. For cross-border trips from El Paso, use the free FC Juárez shuttle or commercial cross-border shuttles (~$20).

From the Airport

History of Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez

The stadium’s origin story begins in 1978, when local sports journalists urged President José López Portillo to build an Olympic-standard venue during an official visit to Ciudad Juárez. The federal and state governments split the costs, and construction was completed in 1980. The inauguration ceremony on October 2, 1980, was presided over by López Portillo himself.

The first sporting event came on May 12, 1981 — a 0-0 draw between Mexico and Atlético Madrid before 23,000 fans. For the next three decades, the stadium served primarily as an athletics facility and occasional concert venue, with no permanent Liga MX tenant.

Key moments in the stadium’s history:

• October 2, 1980: Inauguration ceremony presided by President José López Portillo.
• May 12, 1981: First sporting event — Mexico 0-0 Atlético Madrid, attendance 23,000.
• 1986: Mexican federal government transfers ownership to UACJ.
• August 4, 2019: FC Juárez’s first Liga MX home match — Juárez 2-0 Toluca before 18,117 fans.
• February 17, 2016: Pope Francis visits Ciudad Juárez; the stadium hosts overflow crowds for the papal mass at nearby fairgrounds.
• July 26, 2024: FC Juárez 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt — first European club to play here since Atlético Madrid in 1981.
• November 23, 2025: FC Juárez 2-1 Pachuca in the Apertura 2025 Play-In — the club’s first-ever qualification to the Liga MX Liguilla (playoffs).
• November 2025: New World Athletics-certified synthetic tartan track inaugurated.

The border location defines everything about this stadium. It’s a place where Mexican and American cultures collide on match days, where fans walk across an international bridge to watch football, and where a university-owned 1980s athletics venue has been transformed into a genuine Liga MX home. Ciudad Juárez’s desert climate means extreme temperature swings: summer matches in June and July can kick off in 38°C (100°F) heat, while December fixtures occasionally dip below freezing. The open bowl offers no shelter from either extreme, making the covered VIP sections on the west stand the most coveted seats in the house.

FC Juárez’s first-ever Liguilla qualification in 2025 proved that this improbable frontier ground can produce moments worthy of any stadium in Mexico.