Atlas and Leones Negros presented a project for a new stadium within Ciudad UdeG in Guadalajara on October 7. The plan calls for a main capacity of 40,070 fans and a first match scheduled for early 2030, according to Récord’s coverage of the event held at the Conjunto Santander de Artes Escénicas.
Those taking part included Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus; University of Guadalajara Rector Karla Planter; José Miguel Bejos of Grupo PRODI; and Alberto Castellanos, president of Leones Negros. The design is by Populous. The presentation brings together the project’s sponsors and their goals; it does not mean construction is complete or that an opening date is guaranteed.
Capacity, site and planned uses
The project is located at the Calle 2 site, on a plot announced as covering 147,000 square meters. The report describes a capacity that can be expanded to around 42,000 attendees by using the suites. Therefore, the figures of 40,070 and 42,000 should not be conflated as if they were two contradictory counts for the same configuration.
The stadium design features rectangular lines, latticework and exterior lighting that can be adapted to events. It also includes two public plazas, parking areas and a space at the north end with a movable stand, intended to allow the layout of some activities to be changed. The stated goal is to combine soccer, entertainment and other uses for the complex.
A different project from the earlier sketches
Reports in July described a smaller-capacity stadium and other commercial components. To understand the proposal presented in October, the information from that event should take priority, rather than adding together all the figures that circulated over several months as if they belonged to a single final version.
The renderings show a design concept. They do not prove how much construction progress has been made, what portion of the financing has been spent or which permits have been secured. These details will need to be monitored during development and could change the planned schedule.
What changes for Atlas and Leones Negros
The key feature is that the new venue is planned for the two clubs that currently share Estadio Jalisco. The presentation points to a future move, not to their next matches already being played at another venue. Fans should continue checking which stadium is listed for each match and ticket.
In Leones Negros’ case, having an infrastructure project also does not automatically grant the club a place in Liga BBVA MX. The sporting and legal debate over promotion and relegation follows a separate path. A stadium can be part of the club’s strategy without resolving its league status on its own.
The next informational step will be to distinguish announcements from verifiable progress: construction, permits, budget and opening schedule. The cover photo shows the Jalisco on an earlier date; it serves as a reference for the team’s current home and does not depict the future stadium as built.
Special: what the five injunctions over promotion and relegation mean
