The Arizona Cardinals and National Football League announced something previously reported. The Cardinals will play one of their home games in 2020 in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
The announcement confirms an earlier report from ESPN nearly a month ago.
Because Glendale will host the Super Bowl in three years, one of the new requirements is that the team whose city hosts a Super Bowl must give up a home game to host an international game.
“Two years ago when the NFL awarded Super Bowl LVII to Arizona and State Farm Stadium, we understood the requirement of hosting an international game before 2023,” said Cardinals Chairman and President Michael Bidwill in the team’s press release. “We are thrilled to learn that this game will take place at Estadio Azteca where we received such an enthusiastic reception in 2005. We are extremely grateful for the support we receive from fans in Mexico and look forward to an incredible experience.”
This will not be the Cardinals’ first trip to Mexico City. This year’s game, against a yet unknown opponent, comes 15 years after they made NFL history by playing the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL’s first regular-season game held outside the United States. In 2005, the Cards earned a 31-14 win over the 49ers at Estadio Azteca in front of a then-record crowd of 103,467.
Estadio Azteca has hosted three NFL games in the last four seasons. Last November, the Kansas City Chiefs earned a 24-17 victory over the Chargers there on Monday Night Football last season. Estadio Azteca also hosted the Patriots-Raiders in 2017 and Texans-Raiders in 2016. The Cardinals will join the Raiders as the only teams to have played multiple regular-season games at Estadio Azteca.
Who will be the Cardinals’ opponent in Mexico? They have home games against the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions.
The full NFL schedule will be announced sometime in April.
[vertical-gallery id=428692]
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
Ep. 259
[protected-iframe id=”ecbe5c652b854b01a8a7eb8fac1f0fba-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/23205765/download.mp3″ ]
Ep. 258
[protected-iframe id=”49d17d02e4b4056aec890dec09602b51-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/22949040/download.mp3″ ]