Atlas FC got a new owner. Now, it's getting a new home.
The Guadalajara club, which is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year, announced it will move to nearby Zapopan and anchor a new stadium as part of the Universidad de Guadalajara's Ciudad UdeG district.
The stadium, which is being designed by stadium architecture firm Populous, is expected to open in 2030, ahead of the 2031 Women's World Cup taking place in Mexico, the United States, Costa Rica and Jamaica.
While the intention is for Atlas to be the primary tenant of the stadium with a capacity of more than 40,000, the Leones Negros of U de G, currently in Mexico's second division, also will play its home matches there.
José Miguel Bejos, the president of Grupo PRODI which completed the purchase
of Atlas this summer, said at an event unveiling the plans that the stadium will not utilize any public money, and the intention is for it to serve the university community with events on non-matchdays.
"We'll be partners of the Universidad de Guadalajara in a project, thinking about positively transforming its surroundings and creating value for the community over the next decades," he said. "For us, building doesn't end when you inaugurate a building: Whoever builds it stays there and answers for anything openly."
What will happen to the Estadio Jalisco when Atlas moves to its new stadium?
The team will be back at its current stadium, the Estadio Jalisco, for a crosstown rivalry match against Chivas on Saturday, Oct. 10. Chivas also called the Jalisco home before moving to its current stadium in Zapopan in 2010.
That stadium played host to four 2026 World Cup matches, three decades after the Jalisco hosted six matches in the 1986 World Cup. The venue, which current plans call to keep active hosting events, also played host to eight games at the 1970 World Cup.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liga MX side Atlas FC announces new stadium with 2030 opening date
