The Estadio BBVA, nicknamed "El Gigante de Acero" (Spanish for "The Steel Giant"), formerly known as the Estadio BBVA Bancomer, is a stadium developed by

FEMSA Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V., doing business as FEMSA, is a Mexican multinational beverage and retail company headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico. It operates the largest independent Coca-Cola bottling group in the world and the l ...

and

C.F. Monterrey Club de Fútbol Monterrey, often known simply as Monterrey or their nickname Rayados, is a Mexican professional football club based in Monterrey, Nuevo León which currently plays in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football. Founded on 28 ...

in Guadalupe,

Greater Monterrey The Monterrey metropolitan area refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Officially called ''Area Metropolitana de la Ciudad de Monterrey'' or AMM, the metropolitan area is the 2nd-largest in Mexico. Overview ...

. The stadium replaced the

Estadio Tecnológico The Estadio Tecnológico was a multi-purpose stadium located in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, located on the campus of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM). It hosted football and American football games during ...

as the home of Monterrey, ending 63 years of residency at that stadium. The project was met with controversy, stemming from multiple accusations of the construction as an apparent impediment to wildlife growth on a local scale by deforesting 24.5 hectares of forest neighboring a natural protected area that houses 106 animal species, including 8 endangered or protected species such as the

yellow headed parrot Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...

. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2015 with the eighth edition of the

Eusébio Cup The Eusébio Cup is a pre-season friendly football match hosted by Portuguese club S.L. Benfica since 2008. It has been played mostly at their home stadium, Estádio da Luz, with the two exceptions being the 2015 and 2018 editions (played at E ...

, where Monterrey defeated Benfica 3–0. The stadium is expected to host matches for the

2026 FIFA World Cup The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three ...

Design

The stadium was designed by multinational architecture firm Populous along with the Mexican firm VFO. Christopher Lee of Populous, was the lead designer for the project. Construction began in August 2011 and was completed in July 2015. The stadium was opened in 2015 with a capacity of 51,000 people, making it the fourth largest in Mexico. Built at a cost of US$200 million, it was the most expensive stadium in Mexico at the time of its construction. The owners soon added more seats, expanding the capacity to 53,500 in 2016. It has a grass surface, suites, a club-themed restaurant, a club lounge, and high-end interior and exterior design. The inclination of the grandstand is 34 degrees, and the distance between the field and seats is the minimum allowed by FIFA, providing closeness to the action. Estadio BBVA received a silver certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for its sustainable design. It was the first football stadium in North America to earn the certification.

Permeable area

More than a third of the total land area are green areas. This proportion exceeds the current regulations. These green areas are used to filter rainwater, which will contribute to the recharge of aquifers. Parking lots are evenly distributed around the stadium, including wooded areas to achieve integration with the Ecological Park. These areas are divided into zones, which are integrated into the landscape and topography. The northern boundary to the Rio La Silla is a wooded trail area that connects the stadium with the New Ecological Park. This ecological park and parking are also green areas, with a landscape design that blends with the surrounding environment, with only trees and plants of the region to facilitate preservation and adaptation to the environment.

Association Football events

2022 CONCACAF W Championship

The

2022 CONCACAF W Championship The 2022 CONCACAF W Championship was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF W Championship, the quadrennial international women's football championship contested by the senior women's national teams of the member associations of CONCACAF, the regiona ...

held in Mexico, the stadium hosted 8 matches:

2026 FIFA World Cup

Estadio BBVA will be one of three Mexican venues to host multiple matches during the

Concerts

Singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

performed at the stadium on 15 February 2017 as part of his

Purpose World Tour The Purpose World Tour was the third concert tour by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, in support of his fourth studio album '' Purpose'' (2015). The tour started on March 9, 2016, in Seattle, Washington, and concluded on July 2, 2017, in London, ...

. Over 51,000 people attended the concert.

References

External links

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Official website Vergara y Fernandez de Ortega Arquitectos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estadio De Futbol Monterrey Sports venues in Monterrey Football venues in Mexico Sports venues completed in 2015 2026 FIFA World Cup Stadiums