Estadio Azteca was supposed to celebrate its return on Saturday. Instead, it mourned.

A man died after falling from a box seat area shortly before kickoff of Mexico’s friendly against Portugal, overshadowing the long-awaited reopening of one of football’s most storied venues after nearly two years of renovations.

According to Reuters, citing security officials, the man was intoxicated. He attempted to jump from the second-level box seats to the first level by climbing along the exterior of the structure before falling to the ground floor.

The match — a 0-0 draw in which Portugal looked the more dangerous side — was intended as a stress test for the revamped stadium ahead of the World Cup, which Mexico will co-host with the United States and Canada starting June 11. Azteca is scheduled to hold the opening ceremony and will become the first stadium to host matches in three separate World Cups.

Fans traveled from across Mexico for the occasion. “We came from Puebla and we’re really excited to see the stadium and start feeling that World Cup atmosphere,” Mariluly Cuesta told Channel News Asia. Luis Camarena, a 40-year-old businessman attending with his family, said the experience had felt safe despite heavy security and road closures.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence did little to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm, though the football offered little reward. Joao Felix went close early, Goncalo Ramos struck the post, and Bruno Fernandes fired just wide after the break. Mexico almost snatched a late winner through substitute Armando Gonzalez, whose header drifted wide. Sections of the home crowd booed at the final whistle.

Outside the stadium, protesters turned a nearby highway into a makeshift football pitch to highlight what they described as shortages of housing, water, transport and electricity in the area. Inside, the reopening exposed logistical wrinkles — confusion over entry points linked to the renovations, and a lack of parking. As 18-year-old student Karime Gonzalez told Channel News Asia: “People are helping each other find their way, it feels like a rehearsal for the World Cup.”

On a day built to mark a new chapter for one of football’s great cathedrals, a man didn’t make it home.

Sources