Cruz Azul, the Mexican soccer champion, requested on Thursday to move the venue for its home games in the 2026 Apertura season from Azteca Stadium to Ciudad de los Deportes Stadium, Liga MX reported.
“Cruz Azul Club today requested that Liga MX move its home games for the 2026 Apertura tournament to the Ciudad de los Deportes Stadium. In accordance with competition regulations, the request must comply with the established procedure, including an inspection of the playing field and other applicable requirements,” the league wrote in a statement.
A pilgrimage that seems to have no end
The blue team, one of the top teams in the local league, does not own a stadium in Mexico City.
Cruz Azul called Estadio Azteca home until 1996; it then played at the old Estadio de la Ciudad de los Deportes, which opened in 1946, until 2018.
The date on which it returned to the Azteca Stadium, only to leave it again in 2023 due to the renovations the venue underwent to host its third World Cup.
In 2024, it returned to the Ciudad de los Deportes Stadium, and last year it was based at the Olympic University Stadium.
In the 2026 Clausura tournament, in which the team won the title, it played its home games at Cuauhtémoc Stadium in Puebla—135 kilometers east-central of the capital—and at Azteca Stadium toward the end of the tournament.
The Mystery Behind the Change of Venue
Despite the request, Cruz Azul—the team for which Colombian player Willer Ditta plays—has not explained why it requested this change of venue, as it has been reported that it had an agreement to remain at Azteca Stadium through 2031.
“Once this review process is complete, Liga MX will determine the appropriate course of action and provide a timely update,” the organization’s statement concluded.
Cruz Azul is the fourth-most successful team in Mexican soccer in terms of league titles, with 10, trailing only Toluca and Guadalajara—each with 12 championships—and América, the all-time leader with 16.
It is the only one of these teams that does not have its own stadium.
They do not own a stadium in the Mexican capital
NuevaOnda.com
Liga MX Unveils New Ball for the 2026 Apertura Season
Earlier, Francisco Iturbide, Liga MX’s general director of operations, competitions, and development, unveiled the ball that will be used in the 2026 Apertura tournament.
“It’s been 40 years—four decades of playing together on the field and celebrating goals.”
“Fostering connections and bearing witness to the journey of Liga MX’s growth,” Iturbide said, referring to the time the league has been associated with the Mexican brand that sponsors it (Filed under: Cruz Azul Leaves Estadio Azteca).
With information from EFE
For more information, visit NuevaOnda.com
