MEXICO CITY (AP) — Three giant cranes stand a few meters from the main entrance of Azteca Stadium. Around them, construction vehicles move rubble generated by hundreds of workers racing to get the stadium ready for its reopening ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The iconic venue will become the first to host three World Cup opening matches when Mexico faces South Africa on June 11, but the reopening is scheduled for March 28, when Mexico will play Portugal in a friendly game.
The stadium located south of Mexico City will host five World Cup games. Mexico previously hosted the 1970 and 1986 tournaments. Opened in 1966, Azteca has undergone several renovations — the last one to accommodate NFL games in 2016.
It closed its doors in May 2024 to get a much-needed facelift.
The project is adding new seats in all sections, more video screens, new lighting and locker rooms, a new entrance to the new hybrid pitch, a new wi-fi system, two new big screens, and a new sound system with 250 speakers.
The new locker rooms and the new entrance to the pitch were, according to stadium director Felix Aguirre and stadium owner Emilio Azcarraga Jean, the most difficult parts, delaying the overall renovations.
“The contractors say that yes (it will be ready), I’m not a construction expert, they set dates, there’s a meeting every week, I told them I’m not a specialist, but I don’t see their dates going accordingly as the (planned) dates,” Azcarraga said last month. “There was a lot of difficulty at the beginning.”
Aerial images taken Tuesday by The Associated Press show that all the new seats, 82,000 of them according to the stadium owners, are in place, as well as the new hybrid pitch, but there are still crews working on hospitality areas and new luxury boxes.
A similar hybrid surface was installed in 2018 but poor field conditions forced a last-minute change of venue for an NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams. Natural grass was installed the following year. The new pitch has ventilation and drainage to resist heavy downpours common in Mexico City.
Capacity is expected to be 87,000 when the World Cup kicks off June 11.
“The stadium has undergone a significant modernization process that will improve the experience for soccer fans in every way,” Aguirre said. “Rest assured, Mexico City’s iconic and emblematic stadium will be fully ready.”
One the parking lots at the stadium still has a lot of rubble and the old seats are still lying on the ground.
“This first stage, which ends on March 28 with the reopening, is important, and then we’ll continue with the remaining work for the World Cup,” Azcarraga said. “And then there’s a lot more to do; the complexity of the project doesn’t allow you to do everything at once.”
The Mexico City government is also improving infrastructure near the venue. A street adjacent to the stadium will have a new asphalt surface, a new draining system and new sidewalks.
Also, work continues at the light rail station across from the Azteca. The city is enhancing outdoor lighting and improving a pedestrian bridge.
On game days, the Xochimilco Light Rail known as Tren Ligero is one of the fastest ways to reach the stadium. It currently has 20 trains and the city’s government purchased 17 more for the World Cup.
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