A bright light for their path ahead

Mexico host cities ready for their turn on the global stage

- EDUARD CAUICH

ESTADIO AZTECA in Mexico City has been undergoing renovations that should be complete by March.

Mexico City is finalizing preparations for the 2026 World Cup, with Estadio Azteca set to become the first venue to host matches during three World Cup tournaments. It was previously the scene of Pelé's triumph in 1970 and Diego Maradona's Cup win in 1986.

Neither of the other two Mexican venues existed when Mexico hosted the tournament before: The Estadio Akron in Guadalajara was founded in 2010 as the home of Liga MX team Chivas de Guadalajara, and the Estadio BBVA was inaugurated in 2015 as the home of the Liga MX team Rayados del Monterrey.

Mexico will face South Africa during the first match of the 2026 World Cup at Estadio Azteca, which has undergone about $80 million in renovations.

"The stadium is coming along nicely. We are working hard every day to be ready for the inauguration in March.

Everything is going smoothly," said Estefanía Padilla, head of marketing and operations for the Mexico City World Cup headquarters.

Organizers are preparing to open the renovated stadium on March 28 when Mexico will face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in a friendly match that will mark the end of the work that began in the middle of last year. The organizers also had to resolve a dispute over luxury boxes. After 18 months of litigation, the luxury box owners won the right to use them during the World Cup without paying additional fees. They demanded that an agreement dating to the stadium's construction six decades ago, which grants them unlimited access to their seats for 99 years, be honored.

Mexico City expects to receive around 5.5 million tourists, so improvements also have been made to infrastructure, airports and transportation.