Rivals Who Share a Stadium

For many people, it would seem completely nonsensical for rivals to share a stadium! Particularly in a sport as competitive as soccer. But, it does happen!

Perhaps the best example of rivals who share a stadium is that of Inter and Milan. But, they’re not the only ones. In this article, we’re going to tell you all about those teams that claim the same land as their eternal opponents.

Who are the rivals who share a stadium?

It seems that this is a very common practice in Italy and Mexico. There are multiple pairs of rivals who share a stadium in those countries. How do they do it? It’s very simple, actually. The secret is not to play in the same place on the same day.

When there are showdowns between them, the visiting team has to use their bench uniform even though it’s their own home stadium! Here are some of the most famous examples of these types of rivals:

1. Inter-Milan (San Siro)

The San Siro, or Giuseppe Meazza, Stadium was named in honor of one of the greatest players to wear the colors of both of these Milanese teams. Those are red and black for AC Milan and blue with black for Inter FC.

Both clubs were rivals from the very beginning. That’s because Milan went its own way. The new team, Inter FC, would accept international players.

The stadium in question was constructed in 1925. It was owned by Rossoneri. Nevertheless, some years later the club gave it over to the local government. In 1947 they decided that the Internazionale would play there as well.

2. Club America – Cruz Azul (Azteca Stadium)

This Mexico City stadium has hosted some of the most important games in the world. For example, they hosted the World Cup finals twice. The first was in 1970 between Italy and Brazil. The second was in 1986 between Argentina and Germany. But, it’s also been the battleground for many matches between the two teams that use it as a home stadium. These two teams are Club America and Cruz Azul, which are Mexico City’s eternal rivals.

The “Colossus of St. Ursula” is located in Coyoacan and it’s been open since 1966. Since 1970 it witnessed several Mexican league finals. Aside from being used by America – both the male and female teams – and Cruz Azul, the stadium hosts the national team’s matches.

3. Flamengo – Fluminense (Maracana Stadium)

Who doesn’t know the mythical Maracana Stadium? Uruguay beat the home team in the 1950 World Cup final there after all. And let’s not forget that the soccer matches of the 2016 Rio Olympics were contested there.

What many people might not know, though, is that two rival teams share this stadium. These are the Flamengo and the Fluminense. The first of these was founded in 1985. Its players wear a uniform of red and black. The second, for its part, was founded in 1902. Its players wear maroon, green, and white.

4. Roma- Lazio: Italian rivals who share a stadium

Another one of the rivals who share a stadium is located in the Italian capital itself. The Associazione Sportiva Roma (AS Roma) was founded in 1927. Its uniform is purple with small amounts of yellow. On the other hand, the Societa Sportiva Lazio is an older team that dates from the year 1900. They wear sky blue and white.

This is a long-running rivalry. That’s why it surprises us so much that these two teams would use the same stadium. Here they battle each other for what they call the derby di Roma. The Roma fans sit in the southern stands while the Lazio occupy the northern ones. Rome’s Stadio Olimpico is also the host of the matches of its country’s national football and rugby teams.

5- Atlas – UDEG (Jalisco Stadium)

Now we come back to Mexico, where there’s another story of rivals who share a stadium. This story takes place in the city of Guadalajara. The stadium was founded in 1960 and both Atlas and the University of Guadalajara (UDG) teams call this location home.

The first of these bears the name of the titan from Greek mythology. Its players wear black and red in honor of St. Lorenzo the martyr. The second of these, which most fans know as the black lions, represents the local university. It just so happens that the rivalry between the two stems from the very fact they have to share a stadium.

In closing, we’ll give you some more examples of rivals who share a stadium. Sampdoria and Genoa do this in Italy with the Luigi Ferraris Stadium. Atletico Nacional and Independiente de Medellin, two Colombian teams, share the Atanasio Girardot Stadium. There’re the Chievo Verno and Hallas Verona, another pair of Italian rivals who share the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium. There’s also Independiente de Santa Fe and Millonarios. These are Colombian rivals who share the Nemesio Camacho El Campin Stadium.