这座本应成为现代化和世界杯准备象征的体育场翻新，却让许多球迷大失所望。照片证实，球迷们被迫站起来，因为结构和障碍物阻挡了他们的视线，产生了一种多米诺骨牌效应，最终也损害了后排观众的观赛体验。本应成为高端体验的活动，对许多参与者来说却变成了纯粹的挫败感。愤怒情绪因此病毒式传播，因为这座经过大规模翻新、旨在达到世界杯标准的体育场，未能解决像从场馆最抢手的区域之一清晰观看比赛这样基本的问题。从美梦到噩梦。当晚的矛盾显而易见：场馆以重拳回归，目标直指世界杯，承诺进行现代化、品牌重塑和国际形象提升，但现实却是：一场乏味的比赛、严重的物流问题、球迷的不便、对看台体验的抱怨，以及一起将所有其他问题推到次要地位的死亡事件。 Instead of a perfect celebration, the reopening of the old Azteca became an uncomfortable mirror of everything that should not happen in a stadium destined to be one of the faces of the World Cup. The reopening of the renovated Azteca Stadium, now rebranded as Banorte Stadium, promised to be a historic night on the way to the World Cup this Saturday; however, everything was overshadowed by the accidental death of a fan, blockages at various points, poor organization for transport and entry, and a flood of criticism of the renovation. The Mexico vs. Portugal match sounded like an international showcase, a dress rehearsal for the big event, a chance to show off the 'new' colossus of Santa Úrsula, but reality hit much harder than any inaugural speech: the match ended 0-0, soulless, dull, and completely overwhelmed by a chain of controversies that turned the day into a scandal. In the end, the score was the least important; the goalless draw between Mexico and Portugal in a friendly preparation match was buried under a night marked by chaos getting to the stadium, indignation over a renovation that left seats with practically zero visibility, and, in the most serious episode of all, the death of a fan after falling in the VIP box area. World Cup crisis. On the field, little happened; Mexico and Portugal drew 0-0 in the stadium's reopening match after nearly two years of renovation work. Gonçalo Ramos had the clearest chance by hitting the ball against the post, but outside of that, the game offered little for a night that was meant to be historic. With key absences and injuries on both teams, the show fell far from expectations, but the most devastating part is that a bad match wasn't even needed to ruin the night. The reopening was already broken before the whistle; hours before the match, reports of insufficient buses, transportation problems from points like the National Auditorium and Six Flags, and blockages affecting routes to the stadium began to accumulate. To this were added protests on the central lanes of Periférico Sur, at the ENAH, with slogans for dignified housing and against gentrification. The inaugural match of this new phase of the venue thus became a race against traffic, closures, and disorganization. Tragic inauguration. In this context, the news broke minutes before the match: the Citizen Security Secretariat (SSC) reported that in the VIP box area, a fan, presumably intoxicated, tried to jump from the second to the first level from the outside, fell to the ground floor, and died despite being treated by medical personnel. This fact alone would have marked any event, but in a night that was meant to present the renovated stadium as a symbol of modernity, safety, and World Cup preparation, the impact was monumental. With this, the opening ceased to be just a sporting event and became a night steeped in tragedy. At the 22-and-a-half-minute mark of the Mexico vs. Portugal match, there was a mandatory hydration break, which is presumed to be used for commercialization during the World Cup. Useless multi-million dollar renovation. As if that weren't enough, the other major controversy exploded from the stands themselves, with fans complaining that from the first rows, the closest to the field, visibility was very poor or even non-existent. The complaint was summed up in a devastating phrase: 'This is the visibility from row 1.'
