May 29, 1966: Estadio Azteca Opens

May 29, 1966: Estadio Azteca opens in Mexico City, about 9 miles south of downtown. Club América takes a 2-0 lead over Italian team Torino F.C., but Torino plays back to a 2-2 draw. President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz of Mexico made the ceremonial first kick, and FIFA President Sir Stanley Rous attended.

The Azteca is the most famous building not just in Mexico, but in all of Central America. Named for the ancient empire that ruled Mexico, it remains the home of the national team and of Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., or simply Club América, the most-loved -- and, like the New York Yankees, the most-hated -- sports team in the country. 

It is older than every Major League Soccer stadium except Providence Park in Portland; every NFL stadium except Lambeau Field in Green Bay; every MLB stadium except Fenway Park in Boston, Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the 2 Los Angeles area ballparks, Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium; every NBA arena; and every NHL arena.

From a peak of 119,853 fans at a 1968 game, renovations have reduced the soccer seating capacity to an official 87,523, which still makes it larger than all but a few stadiums in the world, including most of those in the U.S. The field is a hybrid of natural grass and artificial fibers, and runs north-to-south.

Known as "El Coloso de Santa Úrsula," the Colossus of Saint Ursula (for the neighborhood it's in), along with the Maracanã in Brazil, it is 1 of 2 stadiums to have hosted 2 World Cup Finals: 1970, in which Brazil beat Italy; and 1986, in which Argentina beat West Germany.

It also hosted the 1970 Semifinal between Italy and Germany that became known as "The Game of the Century"; and the 1986 Quarterfinal between Argentina and England in which Diego Maradona scored what became known as "The Goal of the Century," only 4 minutes after his handball goal that he called "The Hand of God," the most famous cheat in the history of sports on planet Earth.

In addtion to Club América, the Azteca has been the home field for Club Necaxa, who played there from 1966 to 1970, and again from 1982 to 2003 before going back to the city of Aguascalientes; Atlante, who played there off and on from 1966 to 2007, before returning permanently to their home base in Cancún; Club de Fútbol Universidad Nacional A.C., a.k.a. Pumas de la UNAM, Pumas or UNAM from 1967 to 1969; Atlético Español from 1970 until they went out of business in 1982; and Cruz Azul (Blue Cross) from 1971 to 1996.

It's also hosted soccer for the 1968 Olympics, the 1975 Pan American Games, the 1993 and 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cups, the 1999 Confederations Cup, and the 2011 Under-17 World Cup. (Estadio Olímpico Universitario was the main stadium for the 1968 Olympics, and preceded the Azteca as the national team's stadium.)

It's hosted our football 8 times. The 1st was on August 15, 1994, in a preseason game in which the Houston Oilers beat the Dallas Cowboys 6-0, in front of the largest crowd in NFL history, 112,376. It's hosted 4 regular-season games, with a 5th set for the 2022 season.

On February 20, 1993, the stadium's all-time attendance record was set, as 132,247 people saw Mexico's greatest-ever boxer, Julio César Chávez, knock Greg Haugen out to retain the Light Welterweight Championship of the World. The stadium has also hosted concerts, including by Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson and U2; and religious convocations, including the funeral of Chesperito, a legendary Mexican comedian who was a Club América fan.

Mexico City's combination of desert and mountains -- its elevation is higher than that of Denver, "the Mile High City" -- makes for a climate difficult for visiting teams, especially from outside Mexico. It took the U.S. national team 12 tries, until 2012, to get their 1st win over Mexico at the Azteca, and that was in a friendly: As of May 29, 2022, they're still looking for their 1st competitive win there.

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May 29, 1966 was a Sunday. These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 2-0 at Yankee Stadium. Future Yankee Tommy John outpitched Bob Friend, allowing only 3 hits, all singles, to Mickey Mantle, Elston Howard and Joe Pepitone.

* The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-6 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Dodgers thought they had the game won with 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning, including an inside-the-park home run by Jim Lefebvre. But the Mets scored 3 in the top of the 9th, with Roy McMillan singling Robert "Hawk" Taylor home with the winning run.

* The Washington Senators beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-2 at District of Columbia Stadium in Washington. (It was renamed Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in 1969.) Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-4.

* The Minnesota Twins swept a doubleheader from the Cleveland Indians, 5-1 and 1-0 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-5 with 2 walks over the 2 games. Jim "Mudcat" Grant pitched a 4-hit shutout, outpitching Luis Tiant.

* The California Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-1 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Al Kaline went 0-for-4.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Ron Santo won it with a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Ernie Banks did not play. Hank Aaron went 1-for-4. Eddie Mathews hit his 470th career home run.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 at the brand-new Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Ted Davidson issued a leadoff walk to Bobby Tolan. Curt Flood bunted, grounding back to Davidson, who threw the ball away, and Tolan came all the way around to score the winning run. Pete Rose went 0-for-5.

* The Kansas City Athletics beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-3 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4. Jim "Catfish" Hunter outpitched Jim Palmer. Both Jims were only 20 years old, but both were on their way to the Hall of Fame.

* The Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2 at the Astrodome in Houston. Jim Gentile won it with a home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell each went 1-for-5, with Clemente adding an RBI.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Ollie Brown singled Jim Ray Hart home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Hart and Willie Mays hit home runs.