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Estadio Universitario, or the El Volcan (The Volcano) as it is known by the fans because of its circular and crater-like appearance, is a stadium in San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Estadio Universitario has a capacity to hold 41,886 spectators.
Situated in the campus of Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, it is the home ground for the Tigres UANL in Liga MX. It was also the home ground for C.F. Monterrey between 1973-1980, after which they moved back to Estadio Tecnologico.
Despite primarily being an association football ground, it is also used by the University’s American football team, Autenticos Tigres. The stadium also has hosted music concerts by some of the most famous musicians like Queen, Rod Stewart, Guns N ‘Roses, The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Coldplay, Shakira, Aerosmith, Metallica, and Kiss.
Estadio Universitario has the largest screen in Latin America, which is 12.48 meters wide and 8.60 meters high.
The sports facility has 220 boxes, 10 luxury suites, 840 VIP seats, a press box that can accommodate more than 120 journalists in each event, and a parking area for 3600 vehicles.
History
The stadium was completed and opened on 30th May 1967, and was inaugurated by the then Governor of the State, Eduardo Livas Villarreal. At the time of construction, the original plan was to create a 90,000-capacity stadium. Approximately, the construction cost of the Estadio Universitario amounted to 23 million pesos.
The first match at the El Volcan was between Monterrey and Atletico de Madrid of Spain, which ended in 1-1 draw.
Major Matches
Estadio Universitario hosted the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championships and was a venue for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. It was the venue for the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-final in which Mexico was knocked out against West Germany, on penalties.
Estadio Universitario is supposedly the place where the “Mexican Wave” originated, during a match between Mexico and Argentina on 18th September 1984.
In July 1971, Monterrey played against the Brazilian side Santos which included Pele. Diego Maradona also graced the stadium with his presence as he scored a goal in the match between Argentinos Juniors and Tigres.
Controversies
Despite the drug-related violence in Monterrey, fans manage to show their passion without any violence and the Clasico Regiomontano is one of the most anticipated and intensely competed derbies in the world. However, no chances are taken as often there is high security at the stadium with riot police often guarding the fans.
In 2016, a proposal for the construction of a new stadium for the Tigres was put forth, that would sit atop the Santa Catarina river. However, the National Water Commission, CONAGUA rejected the proposal as it would have affected the flow of the river.
