SOME of the world’s greatest sporting arenas breathe life and have a light around them. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is one that Indians readily make a connection. Outside of cricket, the All England Club (tennis; London), Istora in (Indonesia; Asia) and Hayward Field (athletics; US) are generally considered as the standard bearers for iconic venues.
In football, there’s obviously the Maracana in Brazil. But, generally, though the big daddy of stadiums is the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Its walls has seen some of the greatest stories ever told by footballers and its grass has been the blank canvas for a plethora of sporting achievements.
Pele lifted the title here in 1970. Diego Maradona lifted it in 1986. The walkways to the Stadium holds more history in them than history books and the people who have visited the Stadium can still hear the electricity ringing inside their ears decades later. It’s what the place genuinely does to you. A mythical sporting temple. A football cathedral where people of all faith — including non-believers — are welcome to come and genuflect before it. After all, this is where the Gods come to see mortals be deified. On Thursday afternoon, over 72500 locals will throng this famous, old stadium — a homage to football, really — to officially see the start of the 23rd edition of the men’s football World Cup.
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Pretty much like most of the rest of the world, Mexico were passionate about football. And that passion was one reason why the Azteca came into being during the 1960s, at a time when the Maracana stood as the sport’s sanctum sanctorum. As soon as the country decided to stage the World Cup, they knew they wanted a venue to fit their grand plans. So, their designers and architects travelled through Europe’s famous venues in the hope of getting inspired. “Wembley, the San Siro, Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabeu were all scrutinised,” fifa.com noted in a piece about the stadium.
Once they had a general idea in mind, they got to work. “To achieve a firm surface on which a stadium could be built, 180 million kilos of rock had to be dislodged from 64,000 square metres of land,” the same fifa.com article said. “Ten architects, 17 technicians, 35 engineers and 800 labourers worked daily and, though it took almost a year, they ultimately managed to dynamite the necessary rock so that work on the actual stadium could begin in 1962.”
In 1970, the Azteca finally welcomed the world to its house. And the world, it’s fair to say looking back to what that event created, thanked Mexico in return. It was the first time that the event was broadcast across the world. It was also the first time that the competition was held outside South America and Europe.
In the process, the Azteca also hosted the game the world now calls ‘Game of the Century’; Italy 4-3 West Germany. The final itself was won by Brazil. “There’s just something very special about the Azteca,” was how Pele described the venue. “You need to be inside it, to feel it to understand. It’s unique.”
16 years later, when the country became the first to host the World Cup twice, the Azteca created more memories, including Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ as well as the ‘Goal of the Century’. Two of the most talked about events in football history.
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Mexico have a somewhat weird relationship with the Cup. They are neither royalty nor outsiders. The last time they didn’t feature at the bash was in 1990 but they have made the last eight only twice (1970 & 1986). However, they are one of the few teams to have advanced to the next stage on seven consecutive occasions. But when this streak was broken in 2022, it prompted a lot of soul-searching. It was akin to a death in the family.
That sense of loss and suffering, the pall of gloom, will be lifted to some extent when the lights at the Azteca are flicked on. Not many countries can boast of hosting a World Cup for a second time. The Azteca, meanwhile, will welcome the world for a third time.
The country has spent a fair few pesos in giving it a fresh coat of paint. Overall, though, the venue hasn’t gotten the marquee fixtures in a US-dominated World Cup. But the locals won’t care.
The Colossus of Santa Ursula’s World Cup final could be a round of 16 clash on July 5. If results hold, it will be between Mexico (Winner Group A and England (Winner Group L). And if the hosts win that match, the roar of the Azteca, situated at a height of over 2kms over sea level, will reverberate for a few years.
And England will do well to beware. In 60 years of Mexico at the Azteca, they have lost seven times out of 92. For the time being, though, they will happily settle for a win over South Africa on Thursday to kickstart a dream in the house built to kickstart another dream 65 years ago.