Estadio Corregidora

Talk to anyone in Querétaro about the ground and the story that comes up first isn't the 1986 World Cup — it's March 2022, when a brawl between rival supporters spilled onto the pitch during a match against Atlas, injured 26 people and stopped the game outright. The state government tore up its lease with the club, handed back only a short-term agreement, and barred organised fan groups from the stands for two years. That arrangement held until 2025, when new owners, the Innovatio Capital fund, took over the club and the lease was renewed alongside a renovation of the locker rooms, parking surface and lighting.

The stadium's name goes back further and carries none of that controversy: it honours Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, "La Corregidora," a figure in Mexico's war of independence, chosen by public competition when the ground opened in 1985 to be ready for the World Cup the following year. Mexico beat Poland 5-0 in the first match played there. The biggest crowd it has held, close to 38,500, came for a last-16 tie between Denmark and Spain that Denmark won 5-1.

Querétaro FC has called it home since the opening, though for stretches other clubs shared the pitch — Atlante, Tampico Madero and Pumas UNAM among them. The team's own fortunes swung hard within a year: beaten 5-3 on aggregate in the 2015 Clausura final, then, in 2016, they saw out a goalless draw against Guadalajara in the Copa MX final and won it on penalties — the first major trophy in the club's history.