Estadio Rafael Hernández Ochoa

The Estadio Rafael Hernández Ochoa sits in Coatzacoalcos.

What distinguishes this place from the newer arenas in Mexico City is its restraint. The renovation in 2003 lifted the venue to professional standards, bringing with it the necessary infrastructure for the Liga de Expansión, but it did not transform the landscape. The red and white seats run in long, uninterrupted blocks, and the floodlight towers stand tall against the sky, their LED lamps having replaced the older, buzzing fixtures during maintenance work in 2018. The pitch is natural grass, kept green by the relentless heat and a constant cycle of re-grassing that has become a routine rather than a spectacle.

The ground has been home to Delfines de Coatzacoalcos through their various incarnations, from their days in the second tier to their current campaign in the Liga TDP. It has hosted finals, including the 2026 Liga TDP decider, where the crowd filled the 4,800 seats to watch their side secure promotion. The atmosphere there is not unlike any other small town final in the country: noisy, local, and focused on the result rather than the surroundings. The stadium does not have a website of its own, nor does it need one. The matches are played, the results are recorded, and the ground waits for the next game.