Populous has been selected as the architect for a new 65,000-seat stadium for Liga MX football club, Tigres UANL, in the club’s home state of Nuevo León, Mexico.
The new stadium will be located on a site close to Tigres’ current home, Estadio Universitario, meaning the club will not need to relocate during construction and will retain its position at the University with direct transport links to the downtown area. The project is expected to employ 60,000 people directly and indirectly and will be privately funded.
In line with Populous’ mission to create multi-use venues, the new stadium design is centered around a retractable pitch that will allow a range of events to be hosted, from soccer and athletics to concerts and American football. The mixed-use scheme also incorporates retail, hospitality, hotel rooms, offices, and classrooms for the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL), facilitating year-round usage and creating a socially responsible and financially sustainable venue. The stadium design features separate changing rooms for Tigres’ men’s and women’s teams, creating a shared home for Tigres UANL and Tigres Femenil.
Plans for the stadium, which is due to be delivered in 2025, were unveiled at a press conference on 14 January 2022, with the Governor of Nuevo León, Samuel García, in attendance alongside representatives of the club, Populous, Cemex, UANL, Sinergia Deportiva and Juego de Pelota.
Christopher Lee, managing director – EMEA, Populous, said: “We are proud to be part of this exciting project to create a new home for Tigres that will allow them to continue to flourish at the very highest level. Our design builds on the club’s rich history at Estadio Universitario to deliver a stadium that will come to hold a special place in the hearts of the fans and indeed the wider community. We look forward to continuing to work closely with UANL, Tigres, Cemex and Juego de Pelota Inc. to deliver a new sporting landmark for Nuevo León and Mexico.”
César Esparza, principal partner of Juego de Pelota, said: “There is going to be another setting for concerts and sport. It is a stadium prepared to host all sports, this stadium will be the postcard of Nuevo León… It will not happen that the new stadium will be expensive, if it has that capacity it will allow us to create different price levels for events, becoming inclusive for all people.”
Mauricio Doehner, a member of Tigres’ parent company Sinergia Deportiva, said: “Today Tigres is internationally recognized and we are always striving for more. Of course, we deserve a new stadium, it will be the headquarters in this new era. Today, Tigres is not only a benchmark in Mexican soccer, but also in the international one.”
