Some home-field advantages are real. Mexico’s record at Estadio Azteca is borderline mythological.
Since 1966, Mexico has played 89 competitive matches at the Azteca and lost exactly twice. The record stands at 70 wins and 17 draws alongside those two defeats, making it one of the most dominant home records in international football history. England visits on July 5, 2026, for a 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage match, walking into a stadium that has been eating visiting teams alive for nearly 60 years.
The numbers behind the fortress
Two losses in 89 matches is the kind of stat that sounds like a typo until you dig into it. Mexico’s last competitive defeat at the Azteca came in September 2013, a 2-1 loss to Honduras. Before that, you have to go all the way back to 2001, when Costa Rica left Mexico City with a 2-1 win. That is a 12-year gap between competitive losses at home, and nearly another decade has passed since the Honduras result.
In World Cup competition specifically, Mexico has never lost at the Azteca. The stadium hosted matches in 1970 and 1986, two of the most memorable tournaments in the competition’s history, and Mexico came away from both without a home defeat. The 2026 tournament marks the third time the Azteca will host World Cup football, and Mexico will be looking to keep that particular streak intact.
