Not wanting to fall behind their city rivals FC Monterrey (who inaugurated their new stadium last year), the Tigres are in the process of building a new stadium – and apparently they have big plans. Design firm HOK Sports just presented the current Mexican League soccer champion with a stadium design project so massive it’ll be able to host an NFL franchise and even the first international Super Bowl.
HOK Sports argues that many NFL teams are closer to Monterrey than to U.S. cities like San Diego, Boston, and Miami, which makes a franchise viable. The designers also make a point that “according to NFL numbers, Mexico is the largest market outside of the United States, with 20 million fans. A study also revealed that Monterrey’s median income is similar to Pittsburgh’s and greater than those of Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Buffalo, and Green Bay.” The new stadium, which could be adapted for American football games, would have a capacity of 80,000 seats, and is projected to be finished in 2020.
The news of the NFL plans was received with both enthusiasm and mockery on social media; while many are optimistic about the project, others are a little more aware of the hurdles involved in making something like this happen.
https://twitter.com/davidriverah13/status/692386079484149760
There’s no doubt that an NFL franchise would be amazing for Monterrey, but whatever happens with this project, one thing is for sure: Tigres will have a badass stadium in the near future, probably the best in Mexico and one of the best in Latin America.