Would Mexico really move World Cup qualifiers out of Estadio Azteca?
Mexico have always played big matches, including World Cup qualifiers, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. It's their national stadium and one of the most famous in the world. It's also been a huge home-field advantage, with 100,000 fans going straight up, extreme altitude and sometimes heat and smog to make things even harder on opponents. But now they are considering moving some of their 2018 World Cup qualifiers out of the famed ground because of the altitude.
“The issue of where to play always comes down to where one feels most comfortable,” Mexican federation president Decio de Maria said at a press conference. “The altitude used to be an advantage for us and now it comes with a cost, given that half the team is coming from sea level.”
At first, this notion seems absurd. The Azteca has been one of the best home-field advantages in the world and has been a fortress for decades now. It also sits in the heart of the country's most populous city. The idea of Mexico moving qualifiers anywhere else is crazy. But it's not completely unthinkable.
In the final round of 2014 World Cup qualifying, Mexico won just one of five matches at the Azteca. They struggled to score and flat out didn't look very good. That was the case again earlier this month when they played to a 0-0 draw with Honduras in their final match of the semifinal round of 2018 World Cup qualifying. The Azteca is no longer the place where visiting teams come to die anymore.
The question is whether that's an issue of the ground and altitude, instead of just bad timing and form.
A lot of the shift is because of the Mexicans who have gone to play in Europe -- with six from their last roster playing for European clubs, as well as all three mentioned above who missed out due to injury. Many of the biggest cities in Mexico are at altitude so the majority of players who play in Liga MX are playing at altitude for every home match. Even those who don't, like players from Club Tijuana or Tigres UANL, go play at altitude for away matches regularly. But with players now going to Europe, where high altitude is rare, they're not acclimated to such heights and the thin air that comes with it. So when they go back to Mexico for World Cup qualifiers and have to play at the Azteca, 7,349 feet in the air, they're at the same disadvantage that the opponents are.
That makes it much more palatable to consider Mexico playing World Cup qualifiers at the new 50,000-seat Estadio BBVA Bancomer in Monterrey, where altitude wouldn't be a problem. If they're willing to consider smaller stadiums, Estadio Corona in Torreon or Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna in Chiapas are options.
Of course, there is another way to look at it -- even if only 10 players are used to playing at altitude, that will often be 10 more than their opponents. It may not be the advantage it once was and there will be Mexicans who are uncomfortable with it, but it is better for them than their opponents.
There will be a lot of backlash to moving matches away from the Azteca so it's not like Mexico will be able to play them all elsewhere. They will probably try a match or two away from Mexico City, likely in Monterrey, and see how it goes, but the Azteca will always be a home for El Tri. The era of it being the only home -- at least when they're actually in Mexico and not the United States -- may be coming to an end, though. And all because of the altitude that was once their biggest advantage.
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