Isabel "Chabelo" Ramírez has spent 41 years at Mexico City Stadium — and few people on earth can claim a front-row seat to more footballing history. As the FIFA World Cup 2026™ gets underway at the ground, he now heads the 10-person team responsible for keeping the pitch in peak condition.

His connection to the stadium stretches back to 1970, when his father worked there as a groundsman and brought the young Ramírez along as a fan. That year, he watched Brazil legend Pelé perform on the famous turf. "I was just a boy, and my father would take me by the hand," Ramírez recalled. "It was incredibly exciting to watch the matches live."

From security guard to head groundsman

When Mexico hosted the FIFA World Cup™ in 1986, Ramírez was old enough to join the stadium's workforce, taking a position on the security team. For three years, his duties included protecting the players — among them Diego Maradona, who lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy at the very same venue.

After more than four decades, Ramírez now oversees every blade of grass on the pitch. The role demands precision: cutting height is fixed at 24 millimetres, in line with FIFA specifications, and the mowing lines must be exact. Floodlights move across the surface in 48-hour rotations to aid grass recovery — a far cry from the methods of his father's era.

"People from FIFA and other organisations came to sow the grass seed," Ramírez explained. "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."

A pitch built for pressure

The stadium proved its durability in the build-up to the 2026 tournament, hosting 14 Liga MX matches in the month before the World Cup without compromising the surface. Ramírez attributes that resilience partly to Mexico City's rainy season, which falls across June and July — the same window as the competition.

"When it rains, it helps us because the grass regenerates more quickly," he said. The pitch also benefits from a climate-control system that regulates 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."

A farewell after four decades

Mexico City Stadium is the first venue in history to host three FIFA World Cup™ tournaments, and Ramírez has been present for all of them — as a fan in 1970, as a security guard in 1986, and now as head groundsman in 2026. Once the current tournament concludes, he plans to retire.

Looking back, it is not a goal or a trophy that stands out most in his memory. "What moved me most was the Pope [John Paul II]'s visit in 1999," he said. "But I've experienced so many games, matches and concerts here. It's been a wonderful journey and I'm grateful for it."