MEXICO CITY (AP) — Azteca Stadium has been renamed Banorte Stadium before it hosts its third men's World Cup next year.
Latin America's largest soccer stadium — 87,500 seats — has taken the name of one of Mexico's leading banks, stadium owner Ollamani said on Friday.
Naming rights to the stadium were part of Banorte's deal to loan 2.1 billion pesos ($105 million) to be repaid over 12 years, according to Ollamani’s filing with the Mexican Stock Exchange.
“With them (Banorte), we will modernize this iconic stadium, respecting its essence and architectural designs recognized for decades," Emilio Azcárraga Jean, the owner of Ollamani, said. "It will be the most important venue to showcase Mexico to the world.”
Azteca Stadium has been closed for renovations since last May. Azcárraga Jean recently said he expected the work to be completed before the end of this year.
Neither Ollamani nor Azcárraga Jean has released specific details about renovations to the stadium that was built in 1966.
Originally, a major renovation was planned, including a shopping center and hotel, but residents of the Santa Úrsula neighborhood, south of the capital, opposed them.
Images recently shared by Ollamani show work done on the pitch and the lower seating area.
Azteca was the first stadium to host two World Cup finals, won by Pele's Brazil in 1970 and Diego Maradona's Argentina in 1986.
Mexico is sharing the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Canada, and Banorte Stadium is scheduled to stage five matches, including one each in the round of 32 and round of 16.
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Carlos Rodríguez, The Associated Press
