The World's Most Iconic Soccer Stadiums (Part 2)

Mexico

Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, Mexico)

Capacity: 105,000

Inauguration: 1966

Cost: MXN$260 million

Notable Fixtures: Italy vs. West Germany 1970 World Cup Semifinal, Argentina vs. West Germany 1986 World Cup Final

Unlike my previous post in this series, where you can argue for several stadiums across the USA being the most “iconic,” Mexico has a clear winner. Even though it isn’t a relatively old or expensive stadium, it certainly is among the richest in its history. This is the third largest soccer stadium in the world in terms of capacity, and is one of the most hostile environments to play in. Home to El Tri and Club América, this place is constantly packed with fans that bleed their team’s colors. The Estadio Azteca has been host to some of the best soccer moments in the 20^th century and stands among the most iconic sporting venues in the world.

The Azteca was the final triumph for soccer legends Pele and Diego Maradona. Their World Cup victories in 1970 and 1986 respectively, marked the pinnacle of their international careers. In Maradona’s 1986 World Cup campaign, he produced two of the most memorable moments of his career, and in the history of soccer as well, at the Azteca. In the quarterfinal matchup between Argentina and England, Maradona scored both goals to send Argentina through in that game. One of them would go down as the goal of the century, the other, one of the most controversial World Cup goals ever scored. This was also the venue that hosted the epic battle between Italy and West Germany in the semifinal of the 1970 World Cup. This game was the only time in FIFA World Cup history where five extra time goals were scored, and would go down as the match of the century.

Keep checking in to see what we choose to be the next stadium we feature in this series.