Estadio Jalisco

This is The Stadium in town. Yes, yes, yes, there is the modern and amazing Omnilife Stadium (soon to be Akron Stadium), but, The Jalisco Stadium came first. From local football soccer games, to Worl Cups, to memorable concerts with legends at thier prime like Rod Stewart and Guns and Roses, this is a taste of local culture. The University of Guadalajara soccer team (Leones Negros) still plays at this historic sport sanctuary, mostly on Saturdays. Please go with an empty stomach and try the Pesebre lonches outside the stadium (a delicious kind of sub stuffed with marinated pork, veggies and spicy sauce), a local tradition.

Going to a soccer match in Guadalajara, Mexico is quite the experience.

There is an express bus you can catch to and from Estadio Jalisco (Jalisco Stadium) for 7 pesos, that runs up and down Independencia Street.

Estadio Jalisco stadium’s seating capacity is for 58,985. The day that we went, it filled up very quickly as Atlas the home team was playing Pechuga. So you have to get there early to get a good seat.

If you haven’t purchased your tickets online ahead of time, you have to pay cash at the wicket. We bought tickets in the lower section in the corner at $190.00 pesos each. It is rush seating as it appears the seats are not assigned. The most expensive tickets are for $500.00 each.

There aren’t any food vendors in the hallways, however, there are food and drink vendors that walk up and down the stairs selling their merchandise. They have hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, beer, pop, icies, chips etc. Not expensive and you don’t even have to leave your seat.

They have a fun halftime event where the contestant rolls a big die showing a monetary amount. Once the die is rolled, the contestant has to kick a soccer ball into the goal from a predetermined distance. If there is a goal, they win the amount on the die.

The stadium has heavy security for crowd control. However, I’ve been to three games and have never seen any violence.

Unfortunately,the stadium doesn’t have big screen TVs to see replays.

It costs 5 pesos to use the bathroom.

I went to see Atlas play Puebla on a Saturday at 7pm with two of my friends. Neighborhood surrounding is not sketchy on game day. We arrived at about 6pm without tickets and were able to get tickets at the ticket window. We got some of the most "expensive" tickets for 160 pesos and ended up at the halfway line in the middle of the stadium. Probaly the best seats I’ve ever had at a sporting event. Atmosphere was awesome and I never felt unsafe (I’ve been to a number of games in Argentina were that was not the case). Tons of really cheap food to buy in the stadium and double beers were only 70 pesos. Really good food outside the stadium for after the game too. If you are thinking about going, just do it.

A pro soccer match in Mexico is amazing. Super fun and unlike any stadium in the US. Enjoy the street vendors prior to the match then head in for the full experience. Cash only but everything is cheap. A cold corona at your seat is about $2 and tons or vendors with anything from beer to popcorn to hot dogs. Loud, energetic and fun!

Nothing interesting to see here. The architecture is not so great, and there is nothing around. It is only interesting if you want to watch a football (soccer) game.