Mexico City prepares to welcome millions for 2026 World Cup
Three of the 16 venues will be in Mexico. PHOTO: AFP
– Mexico City is gearing up to welcome more than five million visitors for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, whose opening match will be played in the sprawling megacity, authorities said on May 7.
The top football tournament will be held in Mexico, the United States and Canada, marking the first time that three countries co-host the event.
Three of the 16 venues will be in the Latin American nation, with the central city of Guadalajara and northern industrial hub of Monterrey sharing Mexico's host duties with the capital. Eleven other venues will be in the United States and two in Canada.
Mexico's government and city authorities are working together 'to ensure that the experience is safe and smooth,' Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez said at a presentation.
'More than five million people are expected to arrive' for the matches in Mexico City, which has around nine million residents and is more than 2,200 metres above sea level, she said.
The iconic Azteca Stadium, which hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, is on track to be renovated by the time the whistle blows for the opening match on June 11, according to organisers.
More than US$100 million (S$129.9 million) is being invested in the stadium, its general director Felix Aguirre said, promising that it 'will be ready.'
The renovation triggered controversy after the venue was renamed after the bank that funded the work. Fifa ordered the stadium to be referred to as Mexico City Stadium because of its branding rules.
Addressing security concerns in a country plagued by criminal violence, Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said 40,000 new security cameras would be acquired, bringing the total to 123,000.
'We will be the most video-surveilled city in all of the Americas,' she said.
Organisers called for a World Cup free of homophobia, racism and other attacks on civil liberties. Fifa has repeatedly sanctioned Mexico for homophobic chanting by its fans in stadiums.
Fifa also announced on May 7 that the Maracana Stadium will be one of eight venues across Brazil to host matches at the 2027 Women's World Cup, the first edition to be held in Latin America.
In addition to the iconic venue in Rio de Janeiro, the 64 matches of the competition will be played in Belo Horizonte (Mineirao Stadium), Brasilia (National Stadium), Fortaleza (Castelao Arena), Porto Alegre (Beira-Rio Stadium), Recife (Pernambuco Arena), Salvador (Fonte Nova Arena) and Sao Paulo (Itaquera Arena).
'From samba to frevo, from stunning beaches to cosmopolitan cities, the world will experience the energy, colour and warmth that only Brazil can offer,' said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
'We will continue to work closely with the selected host cities on the exciting journey ahead of us, creating unforgettable moments in each of their stadiums in 2027, and ensuring that this tournament has a major and widespread positive impact.'
The tournament to be played between June 24 and July 25, 2027, will feature 32 participating teams.
'The Fifa Women's World Cup 2027 will mark a historic milestone as the tournament heads to South America for the very first time,' said Fifa general secretary Mattias Grafstrom.
'The women's game continues to grow at an extraordinary pace, and bringing the tournament to Brazil will inspire a new generation across the continent and beyond.' AFP, REUTERS
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