Estadio Azul
| El Azul | |
 | |
| Full name | Estadio Azul (Blue Stadium) |
|---|---|
| Former names |
Estadio Olímpico de la Ciudad de los Deportes (Olympic Stadium Sports City) (1947-1983) Estadio Azulgrana (Blue-Garnet Stadium) (1983-1996) |
| Location | Calle Indiana 255 Mexico City, Mexico C.P. 03810 |
| Coordinates | 19°23′0.20″N 99°10′41.61″W / 19.3833889°N 99.1782250°WCoordinates: 19°23′0.20″N 99°10′41.61″W / 19.3833889°N 99.1782250°W |
| Owner | OCESA |
| Operator | Cruz Azul |
| Executive suites | 92 boxes |
| Capacity | 34,253[1] |
| Field size | 108 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 6 October 1946[2] |
| Renovated | 1996, 2004, 2010 |
| Tenants | |
|
Cruz Azul (1996–present) América (1947-1955) Necaxa (1950-1955) Atlante (1947-1955, 1983-1989, 1991-1996, 2000-2002) | |
The Estadio Azul, is a 34,253[3] seat stadium located in Mexico City. This sports facility is currently used for association football matches and previously (until 1990) for American football. It is the home of Mexican football club Cruz Azul; it has been also home for Atlante F.C. (hence the nickname Estadio Azulgrana) and several home matches of the Mexico national football team, especially in the early 1990s. In the summer of 2016 it was announced by Mexico City authorities that plans to demolish the stadium will begin at the end of the 2017-2018 Liga MX season.
Both times when Mexico hosted the World Cup, Estadio Azul did not host any games mainly due to the age of the structure, the bad parking facilities and the complex traffic patterns.
A peculiarity of this stadium is that it is built as a pit; the playing field is below street level. Another oddity is that just beside the stadium is the Plaza México, the world's largest bullring.
- Stadium
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Seen from a side street
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Estadio Azul from the air
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View inside the Estadio Azul
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Stadium viewed from the east in the Preferences section A
Infrastructure
Following the arrival of Cruz Azul, there have been many renovations to make the stadium safer, comfortable and appropriate to the needs of fans. Among these amenities are:
- 2 professional football locker rooms
- 2 locker rooms for referees
- A press conference room with seating capacity for 50 people
- A closed-circuit video system that includes seven cameras
- Estadio Azul holds 36,681 people, including 92 boxes.