(16 Nov 2016) The National Football League (NFL) returns to Mexico for the first time in 11 years when the Texans face the Raiders in a regular season game on 21 November in a sold-out Azteca Stadium.
Football or "Futbol Americano" has a century-old tradition and is one of the most popular sports in the country, where millions of passionate fans follow the action on TV every Sunday and thousands play in teams like "Los Raiders," a youth squad in a suburb of the capital.
The youth wear the classic silver and black uniforms, but are known as the Raiders Arboledas.
The team's director, Fernando Garces, said since 1982 the team has used the colors "respecting and defending" them to death.
Arturo Olive, the director of the NFL office in Mexico, says the NFL has around 25 million fans in Mexico, the biggest number outside of the US and its base "is still growing."
The league sponsors 6,500 teams in youth programs in 27 of 32 Mexican states, and estimates 2.5 million kids play flag football in elementary schools.
In a country steeped in soccer tradition, and one that has hosted two FIFA World Cups, the love affair with American football might be surprising. But Mexico has two popular college leagues with 36 teams, a six-team professional league, and up to 10 NFL games are on basic cable each week.
The local soccer league has nine games each week, and not all of them are on TV.
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