A look back at the Mexican national team's history at the Estadio Azteca, from its World Cup invincibility and rare "Aztecazos" to its perfect run in the 2026 tournament.
Built in 1966, the Estadio Azteca (Mexico City Stadium) has cemented its status as one of the great cathedrals of world football. Known as the "Colossus of Santa Úrsula," this legendary venue is where the Mexican national team has built its formidable home-field legacy.
With a capacity of 87,000, it is the largest stadium in Mexico. It ranks as the ninth-largest in the world, just behind Kuala Lumpur's Bukit Jalil National Stadium (87,411) and ahead of Alexandria's Borg El Arab Stadium (86,000). The stadium opened on May 29, 1966, with a friendly between Club América and Torino FC. It remains the only venue to have hosted two men's World Cup finals, in 1970 and 1986, and has staged more World Cup matches than any other stadium on the planet.
Estadio Azteca's World Cup Invincibility
The bond between the stadium and the Mexican national team is where history turns into legend. Incredibly, Mexico has never lost a World Cup match at the Estadio Azteca. This remarkable unbeaten streak began in 1970 and has been maintained across three separate tournaments.
Mexico - 1970
In its first home World Cup, Mexico played its three group stage matches at the Azteca. The campaign began with a scoreless draw against the Soviet Union, followed by a dominant win over El Salvador and a narrow victory against Belgium. El Tri's journey ended with a 4-1 quarter-final loss to Italy, a match played at the Nemesio Díez Stadium in Toluca.
Mexico - 1986
Sixteen years later, the script was similar. Coached by Bora Milutinović, the team defeated Belgium, drew with Paraguay, and beat Iraq—all at the Azteca.
In the Round of 16, Mexico secured a 2-0 victory over Bulgaria, highlighted by Manuel Negrete's iconic scissor-kick goal. However, elimination once again came away from their fortress, this time in a penalty shootout against West Germany at Monterrey's Estadio Universitario.
United States, Canada, and Mexico - 2026
In the stadium's third World Cup, Mexico has delivered its best-ever start. Javier Aguirre's squad achieved a perfect group stage for the first time, securing nine out of nine possible points with victories over South Africa (2-0), South Korea (1-0), and the Czech Republic (3-0).
El Tri extended its home unbeaten streak with a 2-0 win against Ecuador in the Round of 32, thanks to goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez. With that result, Mexico advanced to the Round of 16 without conceding a single goal in the tournament. They are set to play their final home match of the World Cup on Sunday, July 5, against England.
The team's overall World Cup record at the Azteca now stands at an impressive nine wins, two draws, and zero losses, with 20 goals scored and only two conceded.
The "Aztecazos"
Outside of the World Cup, defeats for El Tri at home are so rare they have their own name: "Aztecazo." Mexico has lost only two official competitive matches at the Estadio Azteca. The first occurred on June 16, 2001, when Costa Rica secured a 2-1 victory on the road to the 2002 World Cup, a result that gave birth to the term. The second came against Honduras during the qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
In over 140 matches played at the Estadio Azteca throughout its history, Mexico has suffered just eight defeats in total. The most recent loss was a 2-1 defeat to Honduras on September 7, 2013, a result that led to the immediate dismissal of manager José Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre.
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