The Mexico City Stadium is the first to host three FIFA World Cup™ tournaments and Isabel “Chabelo” Ramírez has been part of all of them. In 1970, he was there as an enthusiastic young fan who had the chance to see Brazil great Pelé in action. Sixteen years later, he was also present as a member of the security team whose remit included protecting players such as the legendary Argentine, Diego Maradona. And, in 2026, he is in charge of pitch maintenance, helping to provide the perfect stage for the world’s top players to perform. Today, Ramírez leads a team of 10 groundsmen and works tirelessly to maintain the pitch with the help of modern technology. It’s a meticulous process, as he explained.

“People from FIFA and other organisations came to sow the grass seed. At the moment, the floodlights are on day and night, and they’re being moved around: they stay in one spot for 48 hours, then are moved to another, and so on. That helps the grass to recover. We have to measure the mowing lines so that they’re exactly as FIFA requires; the cutting height is 24 millimetres,” he said. The pitch is remarkably resilient. In the month leading up to the FIFA World Cup 2026™, the stadium hosted 14 Liga MX matches and coped well with the demand. Ramírez combines his knowledge of gardening and the Mexican climate – June and July both fall in the rainy season – with the technologies implemented by FIFA to keep it in prime condition.

“When it rains, it helps us because the grass regenerates more quickly. It also has a cooling and heating system; it’s a technology involving a machine that absorbs air and humidity. There have been a lot of changes… Now, with the new technology, it’s a new kind of pitch for us and we’re getting the hang of it,” he said.

When Chabelo first went to the stadium – then known as the Azteca – it was all very different. In 1970, his father was also working as a groundsman and the staff were allowed to bring family members to some of the games. “I was just a boy, and my father would take me by the hand. It was incredibly exciting to watch the matches live,” he said.

When Mexico was awarded the right to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 1986, he was old enough to work himself and secured his first job at the stadium on the security team, where he stayed for three years. One of the players he helped protect was Maradona who, like Pelé, enjoyed some of his finest moments at the stadium, including lifting the FIFA World Cup trophy. Once the current tournament is over, he intends to finally call it a day after 41 years as part of the team. “I’ve seen it all in this stadium,” he said. “What moved me most was the Pope [John Paul II]’s visit in 1999, but I’ve experienced so many games, matches and concerts here. It’s been a wonderful journey and I’m grateful for it.”