The 2026 World Cup will kick off at Mexico's Estadio Azteca stadium.

According to a VNA correspondent in Mexico, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced on February 4 that the Estadio Azteca stadium in Mexico City will be the venue for the opening match of the 2026 World Cup on June 11 when Mexico, Canada and the United States co-host the world's biggest football festival in 2026.

Estadio Azteca will become the first stadium in history to host the opening matches of three World Cups, including the 1970 World Cup, which saw the brilliance of the “King of Football” Pele, and the second in 1986, when football legend Diego Armando Maradona led the Argentine national team to victory in the final against Germany.

Mexico began construction of the Estadio Azteca in 1962 and officially opened in May 1966 to serve as the headquarters of Club America, as well as to host the 1970 World Cup.

Designed by architects Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Rafael Mijares Alcérreca, the stadium has a capacity of over 87,000 spectators. It is the largest stadium in Mexico, the second largest in the Americas, and the eighth largest in the world, and has hosted the most World Cup matches, with a total of 19 matches to date.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament to feature 48 teams instead of the usual 32, with a total of 104 matches taking place at 16 stadiums, including three in the United States, two in Canada and three in Mexico.

According to VNA

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