Estadio Olímpico Universitario · Profile

The Estadio Olímpico Universitario opened on 20 November 1952 on the Ciudad Universitaria campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in the south of Mexico City. President Miguel Alemán Valdés and university rector Luis Garrido Díaz attended the ceremony. The first competition was the opening of the second National Youth Games. A few days later the ground staged the university American football derby between UNAM and the National Polytechnic Institute, which UNAM won 20-19. Originally called the Estadio Universitario, the venue is home to Club Universidad Nacional, Pumas UNAM.

Construction and design

Work began on 7 August 1950 as part of the new university campus. The architects were Augusto Pérez Palacios, Jorge Bravo and Raúl Salinas Moro. Instead of a concrete frame, the stands were built on the volcanic ground of the Pedregal, with earth embankments forming the terraces. The east façade carries a relief by Diego Rivera in coloured stone. It shows the university crest, a family, two athletes lighting the Olympic torch and a feathered serpent. Rivera planned to cover the whole exterior with similar designs but died before he could finish. In 2007 UNESCO added the central campus of Ciudad Universitaria, stadium included, to the World Heritage List.

The first major events

From 5 to 20 March 1954 the stadium was the main venue of the Central American and Caribbean Games, with 1,336 athletes from 12 countries; Mexico topped the medal table with 125 medals. On 12 March 1955 it hosted the opening of the Pan American Games, with 2,583 athletes from 22 nations and a crowd of more than 100,000. Between 1955 and 1966 Club América and Necaxa also played there. Atlante used it from 1957 and the Mexico national team from 1956, until the Estadio Azteca opened in 1966.

Home of Pumas

UNAM's football team made its debut at the stadium on 10 July 1955, in the second division. It won promotion to the top flight on 9 January 1962 and has played its home matches there ever since. Several Pumas league finals have been played at Ciudad Universitaria. The one on 26 May 1985 against América was marked by a crush in tunnel 29 in which several fans died. The match was not stopped and ended 0-0. Afterwards fences were put up between the stands and the esplanade, and entry procedures were changed. The stadium is also home to Pumas CU, the university American football team that plays in the ONEFA league.

The 1968 Olympic Games

For the 1968 Mexico City Olympics capacity rose from around 70,000 to 83,700 without major changes to the original structure. The track was laid with tartan, the first synthetic surface used at an Olympics. New floodlight towers and an electronic scoreboard were installed, and a ramp for the delegations was built at the south end. The stadium was the main venue, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, equestrian events, football matches and the marathon finish. Enriqueta Basilio lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony. On 18 October 1968 Bob Beamon jumped 8.90 metres in the long jump, a world record that stood for 23 years. On the same track Jim Hines ran the 100 metres in 9.95 seconds, and Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists on the 200 metres podium.

The 1986 World Cup and other events

Four matches of the 1986 FIFA World Cup were played at the stadium: Argentina 3-1 South Korea on 2 June, South Korea 1-1 Bulgaria on 5 June, Argentina 2-0 Bulgaria on 10 June and, in the round of 16, Italy 0-2 France on 17 June, in front of 70,000 spectators. In 1975 it hosted the athletics events of the Pan American Games, whose ceremonies took place at the Estadio Azteca. From 20 November to 4 December 1990 it was again the venue of the Central American and Caribbean Games, where Mexico finished second with 299 medals, behind Cuba.

Cruz Azul at Ciudad Universitaria

In 2025 the stadium had a second Liga MX tenant. Cruz Azul, without a ground of its own, moved its home matches there from 11 January 2025, starting with Atlas in the first round of the Clausura. Under a clause in the agreement, matches between Cruz Azul and Pumas were played elsewhere. On 1 June 2025 Cruz Azul beat Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0 at Ciudad Universitaria in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, the club's seventh title in the competition.