The Mexico men's national team is headed north.
For the first time since 2018, El Tri will play in the soccer-obsessed state of Nuevo Leon, making its first visit to the Estadio BBVA since CF Monterrey's home was built in 2015. Mexico will play at the stadium for November's Concacaf Nations League home game, the federation announced Wednesday, Sept. 23.
The national team last visited the northern city in October 2018 for a friendly against Costa Rica that took place at El Volcán, the home of Monterrey's crosstown rival Tigres.
The match at Estadio BBVA will take place Nov. 17. It is the second leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal, meaning the opponent won't be set until the end of CNL group play Oct. 5.
The official news release refers
to the venue as the Estadio Monterrey, hinting at one of the reasons Mexico doesn't visit Monterrey more frequently. Spanish bank BBVA has held the naming rights to Rayados' stadium since it opened, leading to potential conflicts with the federation's official sponsors.
Other venues' concession deals have not been in line with the Mexican federation's commercial partners, also leading Mexico to stay away for many years.
Monterrey's stadium, which technically sits in the suburb of Guadalupe, hosted four World Cup matches. All of those were attended by at least 50,000 fans. The facility, which has a listed capacity of 53,529, is known for its views of Monterrey's iconic Cerro de la Silla mountain.
The United States will host its quarterfinal home match in Cincinnati, Ohio.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mexico national team to make long-awaited Monterrey return
