FIFA have announced that the opening fixture of the 2026 World Cup will take place at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada and the Azteca will feature in the tournament for a third time.
“The opening match of FIFA World Cup 26 will take place in Mexico City at the Estadio Azteca on 11 June 2026!” the FIFA World Cup account announced on social media on Sunday.
Mexico hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cups, with the final played each time at the Estadio Azteca.
Built especially for the 1970 tournament, the Azteca was the scene for Brazil’s 4-1 win over Italy as Pele won the World Cup for a record third time. And in 1986, Diego Maradona lifted the trophy after Argentina’s 3-2 victory over West Germany at the Azteca.
The Azteca is one of three venues in Mexico which will host games in the 2026 World Cup, along with Monterrey and Guadalajara.
The next two matches will be played in Los Angeles and Toronto, which means each country will host one of the first three fixtures.
Vancouver is the other Canadian city, with the remaining eight venues in the United States.
New York/New Jersey, Dallas, Kansas, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and Miami make up the 16 host venues as 48 teams feature in the World Cup for the first time.
The tournament takes place between June 11th and July 19th, 2026, with the final at the MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey.
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