The Mexico City Stadium, formerly Azteca, hosts the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 11, in which Mexico faces South Africa at 1:00 p.m.
The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, highlighted this June 10 the historical importance of the stage. “This stadium is special. It is where Pelé and Maradona won the Cup. It is a stadium where the match of the century took place, when Italy beat Germany in 1970. It is the stadium where Manuel Negrete scored that tremendous goal in 1986. It is a true cathedral and is blessed by the gods of football.”
Infantino added that the “magic” of Azteca was transcendental for the joint candidacy of Mexico, the United States and Canada and underlined the global reach of the tournament, the first with 48 teams.
Statements from the technicians
The Mexican coach, Javier Aguirre, expressed confidence in his team for the debut. “The team has grown and the table is set for a good start to the World Cup. It can be a great day for us, with respect to the rival,” he said at a press conference.
Aguirre recalled the 1-1 draw against South Africa at the opening of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and praised striker Relebohile Mofokeng.
Regarding Mexico’s streak of seven opening games without a victory, he indicated: “We have to break that statistic. It will be one more reason to win.” Likewise, he assured that the 26 summoned are in good physical and emotional condition.
For his part, the South Africa coach, Hugo Broos, recognized Mexico’s favoritism. “They give us a probability of seven percent. We don’t feel pressure, that’s on them. We have prepared ourselves and we only think about getting ahead in the game,” he declared.
Broos highlighted his team’s adaptation to the altitude after a week of concentration in Pachuca. “It will be our 11th day in Mexico. I don’t think we will have problems,” he said.
South Africa will later face the Czech Republic in Atlanta and South Korea in Monterrey.
Previous environment in Mexico City
The Mexican capital lives the hours before the match with the usual expectation that a World Cup generates.
In the vicinity of the Mexico City Stadium, formerly the Azteca Stadium, and in sectors such as the Zócalo, spaces for fans and activities related to the tournament have been installed.
The authorities deployed a special security operation in the area. Both the Mexican Soccer Federation and local authorities reported a significant arrival of national and international fans in recent days.
The match will mark the start of Group A activity, made up of Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic.