Snow and subzero temperatures: What Mexican soccer fans and media are saying about Edmonton’s ‘Iceteca’ ahead of the Canada-Mexico match

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This article was published 16/11/2021 (1783 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Tuesday, Edmontonians woke up to near whiteout conditions, as a winter storm blanketed the city in 20 centimetres of snow and temperatures dropped to -7 C (feeling closer to -14 C with the wind chill).

For locals, it’s a pretty typical mid-November day in the Alberta capital. But try telling that to Mexican soccer fans who are used to their country’s warm climate, with temperatures in most regions averaging double-digits, all year long.

On Tuesday evening, the Mexican national soccer team, fans and reporters who have travelled thousands of kilometres north will have to brave the cold for a crucial World Cup qualifying match, at Commonwealth Stadium — dubbed the “Estadio Iceteca” — on Tuesday night.

“This is how the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton looks right now,” reported Telemundo Sports. “Work has begun to remove snow from the field.”

“Here, in this city, football will be ‘played,’” wrote Telemundo anchor Miguel Gurwitz on Monday night accompanied by a video snow covering rooftops across the city.

“Edmonton welcomes Mexico with snow and temperatures below -10°C. It could be the COLDEST game in playoff history,” according to the cover of Récord, a Mexican daily sports newspaper.

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Some fans are even learning to embrace the frigid cold for what will be a memorable match for both countries.

“Supporting from Edmonton, yes we can Mexico!!!” wrote Twitter user Diego Eduardo.

The game starts at 7 p.m. MST on Tuesday night.

Richie Assaly is a Toronto-based digital producer for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @rdassaly

Manuela Vega is a Toronto-based digital producer for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @_manuelavega