Estadio Jalisco, or the Jalisco stadium is the third largest football stadium in Mexico with a maximum capacity of 56, 713. It is situated in the west coast of Mexico, 400 kilometres to the north-west of Mexico City, in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
It is the home ground of Club Atlas in the Liga MX and Leones Negros UdeG in Ascenso MX. Earlier, it was also the home ground of Chivas for 50 years until 2010, when they moved to the Estadio Akron.
It has an area adapted for people with disabilities, 646 boxes divided into three floors, a press box, a chapel and 572 parking spaces. Initially costing 18 million pesos, it was a relative bargain compared to other football grounds.
History
Its conception was in 1954, when the authorities decided that the Parque Oblatos Carnot could not accommodate all the fans after a local derby match between Chivas and Atlas.
The official approval for the construction of the new stadium was obtained in 1954 from the City of Guadalajara, as the native clubs cooperated with the local and regional authorities. Construction commenced at the Indepencia neighbourhood in 1956.
The construction was completed in 1959, with the inauguration happening on 24th January 1959. However, the first match was played on 31st January 1960, between Club Atlas and the Argentinian side San Lorenzo de Almagro. The first match was attended by 50,000 spectators.
Major Matches
The Jalisco stadium hosted matches in the FIFA World Cups of 1970 and 1986. It also hosted several preliminary matches in the 1968 Summer Olympics. It hosted eight matches in the FIFA Confederations Cup of 1999, which included the third-place match.
It hosted eight matches in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, with six group matches, a quarter final, and a semi-final. In the 1986 FIFA World Cup, it hosted six matches, including all three group matches involving Brazil, a round-of-16 match, a quarter final, and a semi-final.
During both the World Cups, Estadio Jalisco was the temporary home ground of Brazil. There still remains a liaison between the residents of Guadalajara and the Brazilian national team.
Controversies
In November 2014, a Liga MX playoff semi-final match at the Jalisco stadium, between Atlas and Monterrey was marred by violence after Monterrey won the match 2-0. Univision Deportes reported multiple injuries suffered by the police, while they formed a protective shield around the Monterrey supporters to protect them from the enraged Atlas fans.
On 8th September 2017, the match between Atlas and Tigres UANL was suspended because of the installation of a 360-degree screen barely eight metres above the ground violating the statutory height as stipulated by the Civil Protection.
Recent Matches
Estadio Jalisco has not hosted any important games apart from the Liga MX matches in recent years, as Club Atlas have been struggling to perform and the Mexican national team using the Estadio Azteca as their home ground.
The last important matches to be played at the Jalisco stadium were in 2008, when Club Atlas qualified for the Copa Libertadores.
