Azteca Stadium agrees sponsorship deal

Image: Estadio Azteca, ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, one of three Mexican venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, has picked up a sponsor for the first time.

ESPN said financial institution Banorte will become the main sponsor of the Azteca Stadium, which will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ opening ceremony, in exchange for a multimillion-dollar loan to be repaid over 12 years.

Banorte has agreed to lend the Azteca Stadium 2.1 billion pesos ($105 million) for renovation work, according to a release on the Mexican Stock Exchange. The stadium will become known as Banorte Stadium as part of the deal.

The Azteca Stadium is a football stadium located in Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home of the Liga MX (the top tier of Mexican football) team Club América as well as the Mexico national team.

The stadium sits at an altitude of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) above the sea level. With a capacity of 87,523 it is the largest stadium in Latin America and the sixth-largest association football stadium in the world.

The Azteca Stadium is undergoing massive renovations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

The loan agreement was signed by the subsidiary Ollamani Group subsidiary “Futbol del Distrito Federal, S.A. de C.V.” This is the company that owns the Azteca Stadium and is a publicly traded company on the Mexican Stock Exchange.

The 2.1 billion peso investment is in addition to the 1.5 billion pesos that Ollamani had already earmarked for the renovation of the Azteca Stadium.

Mexico City (Mexico)-based the Ollamani Group is a Mexican company primarily focused on sports and entertainment ventures most notably owning the professional soccer team Club América and operating the iconic Azteca Stadium both stemming from a spin-off from the larger media conglomerate Grupo Televisa.

Essentially, it’s a company centered on the business of professional soccer in Mexico with a prominent stadium asset.

The stadium needs several improvements to be ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

It was closed in late 2024 as renovations began, and it is expected to be reopened in late 2025 or early 2026, to be ready for the opening of the World Cup, which will be held on June 11, 2026.

Ollamani said in a statement, “Banorte and Grupo Ollamani proudly announce a partnership consisting of financing, advertising, and sponsorship components to drive the modernization and transformation of this historic and emblematic stadium for Mexican soccer and culture. Starting today, the Cathedral of World Soccer will be called Estadio Banorte.”

Following the announcement by the bank and Grupo Ollamani, the stadium’s official X account changed its name to “Estadio Banorte,” prompting a flurry of reactions from América fans, who first knew the stadium as “Azteca.”

Likewise, the stadium’s official website also changed its internet address to “estadiobanorte.com.mx.”

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