Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, officially
Estadio Banorte since 2025 and referred to by FIFA as
Mexico City Stadium, is the spiritual home of world football and will stage the
opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 11 June. With it, the Azteca becomes the
only stadium in history to host three World Cups (1970, 1986 and 2026).
The stadium in brief
Opened on
29 May 1966 and designed by architects Pedro Ramirez Vazquez and Rafael Mijares Alcerreca, the Azteca sits at
2,200 metres above sea level, a notorious challenge for visiting teams. After a renovation for the World Cup, its capacity is about
87,500, the largest in Latin America. It is the home of Liga MX giants
Club America and the
Mexico national team, with Cruz Azul also using the ground.
History
The Azteca hosted the 1970 final, where Pele's Brazil beat Italy, and the 1986 final, where Diego Maradona's Argentina overcame West Germany, in the same tournament as his 'Hand of God' and 'Goal of the Century'. No other venue carries such weight in football folklore.
2026 FIFA World Cup matches
Five matches, including the opening game. Times are local (Mexico Central, UTC-6) with UTC in brackets:
- June 11 - Mexico vs South Africa (OPENING MATCH) (Group A) - 1:00 PM local (19:00 UTC)
- June 17 - Uzbekistan vs Colombia (Group K) - 8:00 PM local (02:00 UTC (Jun 18))
- June 24 - Czech Republic vs Mexico (Group A) - 7:00 PM local (01:00 UTC (Jun 25))
- June 30 - Round of 32 (1A vs best third) (Round of 32) - 7:00 PM local (01:00 UTC (Jul 1))
- July 5 - Round of 16 (Round of 16) - 6:00 PM local (00:00 UTC (Jul 6))