Dortmund Praises Rayados Ahead of Club World Cup Clash: “Iconic Stadium”

Ahead of the Round of 16 showdown at the 2025 Club World Cup, Borussia Dortmund caught everyone’s attention with a respectful gesture toward Monterrey. The German club praised the Mexican side’s stadium, the Estadio BBVA—also known as “El Gigante de Acero”—by calling it “iconic” in a social media post and comparing it to their own home, the legendary Signal Iduna Park.

“Iconic stadiums,” read the message posted on Dortmund’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, accompanied by the flags of Mexico and Germany. The compliment comes just hours before the two teams face off on Tuesday, July 1, at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Rayados advanced from Group E in second place behind Inter Milan, an achievement defender Sergio Ramos deemed "historic". Under coach Domènec Torrent, the team showed resilience and now hopes to upset Dortmund, who topped Group F under Niko Kovac. Forward Germán Berterame added some edge in the buildup, saying: “These kinds of matches give you confidence.”

The Estadio BBVA, opened in 2015 and seating over 53,000 fans, stands among Mexico’s most modern venues. Meanwhile, Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, with over 80,000 capacity, remains one of Europe’s most iconic football arenas.

Whoever prevails in this matchup will face an even bigger challenge in the quarterfinals: Real Madrid or Juventus await in New York on Saturday, July 5. That clash between the Spanish and Italian giants will take place earlier on Tuesday in Miami.