How does football affect cities? Mobility analysis during the Mexican ‘Clásico Joven’ football match

Briefing

In recent years, Mexico City (CDMX) has established itself as a global capital of entertainment. From Broadway productions and international tours such as the Eras Tour, to top-tier sporting events like Formula 1, the metropolis consistently hosts mass events.

While this boom generates significant economic benefits, it also presents considerable challenges on the quality of life for residents living near the venues. For this reason, taking advantage of the start of the 2026 World Cup, where CDMX will make history as a host city for the third time, understanding the behaviour and mobility patterns of attendees at these events is more important than ever.

To delve deeper into flow dynamics and fan profiles, at Nommon, we carried out a detailed mobility analysis during the match between Club América and Cruz Azul, popularly known as the ‘Clásico Joven’. This match was not just another fixture in the calendar; it marked the official return of Liga MX to the Estadio Azteca following two years of closure for renovations ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Using Nommon’s Mobility Insights platform, the study analysed the reopening of the ‘Coloso de Santa Úrsula’, accurately reconstructing the mobility and activity patterns of attendees before, during, and after the final whistle.

Solution

Mobility Insights analyses anonymised mobile data records and integrates them with land-use data, transport network and service supply data, sociodemographic statistics, and transport demand data from other sources to provide information on population activity and mobility.

One of the most interesting applications of this technology is the analysis of large-scale events, where the temporary concentration of thousands of people generates significant changes in the city’s mobility patterns.

In this context, the football match between América and Cruz Azul, which took place on 11 April 2026 in CDMX, was analysed using data from the mobile operator Telcel. This data allowed for an understanding of the mobility dynamics associated with the event, including the profile of the attendees and their patterns of arrival and departure from the stadium, providing a comprehensive view of the match’s impact on urban mobility.

Outcomes

The match line-ups: attendee profile

On Saturday, 11 April, between 16:00 and 00:00, the antennas in the area near the stadium registered nearly 50,000 event attendees. This figure aligns with the official attendance of 46,884 spectators reported by Liga MX, adding operations staff, security, and vendors who contribute to ensuring that every event is enjoyed by the attendees.

When analysing the profile of the crowd, the diversity of profiles is a positive highlight. If we focus on the fans’ origins, the southern boroughs of the capital predominate: Coyoacán, Tlalpan, and Benito Juárez. However, the mobility analysis also revealed the presence of residents from nearby cities such as Toluca and Cuernavaca.

Furthermore, the data demonstrates that, increasingly, football and the associated spaces for celebration transcend gender. The percentage of men and women in the stands is near parity, with 55% and 45% of attendees respectively. Of these, young people are particularly notable, with 31% of attendees being under 24 years old.

In the same vein, the variety of socio-economic profiles is noteworthy. Only 13.5% of attendees come from the country’s highest income brackets, a figure that demonstrates the power of football as a social glue, regardless of age, gender, or social class.

The warm-up: arrival dynamics

From 16:00 — five hours before kick-off — the antennas near the stadium began to perceive a gradual increase in activity in the vicinity of the stadium. This staggered arrival allows the football atmosphere to build in the areas surrounding the stadium, with fans enjoying the pre-match build-up, whether by purchasing team merchandise, consuming food and drinks, or participating in activities surrounding the event. The peak number of attendees was concentrated around 21:00, coinciding with the start of the match.

Before arriving at the stadium and taking their seats, the fans’ pre-match activity was strongly concentrated along the Calzada de Tlalpan corridor, between the Stadium and Taxqueña, as well as in areas with high commercial and gastronomic activity, such as the Historic Centre and the Perisur Commercial Centre.

Final whistle and extra time: departure dynamics

Although a decline in the number of users present in the stadium area began from 22:00, it was not until 23:00, when the match ended, that the decline occurred sharply. These departure dynamics place pressure on city management, primarily on transport systems, which must absorb high demand in record time.

One of the strategies implemented by the Electric Transport Service (STE) was to extend the operation of the Light Rail until 00:00. Despite this effort, at midnight, there were nearly 15,000 people in the vicinity of the stadium who had to look for alternative transport to get home.

Finally, the post-match dispersion map showed a return to areas of origin in neighbourhoods such as Del Valle, Narvarte, and Nápoles, but also a notable flow towards Roma-Condesa, Polanco, and the Historic Centre; destinations chosen by those fans who wanted ‘extra time’ in an evening of great excitement.

What we learnt

With an eye on the 2026 World Cup, the lessons from this encounter serve as the perfect foundation for redesigning the logistics of mass events in the capital. This mobility analysis evidences the tangible benefit of incorporating advanced technological solutions like Mobility Insights to accurately decipher complex urban phenomena.

The dynamics observed during the reopening of the Estadio Azteca — ranging from the areas where fans experience the pre-match moments to the dispersion routes after the final whistle — offer a clear roadmap for authorities and private operators to coordinate efforts, optimise public transport frequencies, and design tactical mobility operations. The precise diagnosis of these flows based on mobile phone data ensures that major spectacles continue to drive economic activity in Mexico City, without compromising the quality of life of its inhabitants or clogging the arteries of the metropolis.

you would like to learn more about Mobility Insights’ capabilities, please contact us at nommon@nommon.es.