Mexico City's Estadio Azteca is preparing to open the 2026 World Cup on Thursday, when Mexico face South Africa in the first match of the expanded 48-team tournament. With kickoff set for 1 p.m. local time, the fixture will make the Azteca the only stadium in history to stage three World Cup opening matches, after 1970 and 1986.
The stadium, operating under the commercial name Estadio Banorte during the tournament, has undergone an extensive refurbishment ahead of the finals and was formally handed over to FIFA in May. Its standard capacity of about 83,000 has been reduced to roughly 72,800 seats in the configuration FIFA is using for the World Cup.
Mexico City is one of three Mexican host cities, alongside Guadalajara and Monterrey, and the opener places the capital at the centre of the global event. The Azteca holds a singular place in football history, having hosted the finals where Pelé's Brazil triumphed in 1970 and where Diego Maradona's Argentina won in 1986.
Authorities have warned that opening-day ceremonies and the crush of fans will make driving through the city's south difficult on Thursday, urging spectators to arrive early to clear security and reach the stadium. The Azteca light-rail station on the Tren Ligero line, reached via the Tasqueña interchange, is the main public-transport link to the venue.
The opening match revives memories of 2010, when South Africa, then hosting, drew 1-1 with Mexico in the tournament's curtain-raiser. This time the roles are reversed, with Mexico as hosts and South Africa returning to the World Cup for the first time since that home tournament 16 years ago.
Beyond the football, the opener is a showcase moment for Mexico City, which has leaned on the global audience to highlight its stadiums, transport upgrades and tourism. The city will host further group-stage matches as the tournament unfolds across North America before the final in New Jersey on July 19.
For local fans, the match is also a test of the city's logistics, from policing and transit to the surge of international visitors arriving for the largest World Cup ever staged. Organisers have stressed planning around the Azteca's neighbourhood, long accustomed to big crowds but never to an event of this scale and global attention.
Mexico head into the opener unbeaten in their 2026 friendlies, raising expectations at home, while South Africa's Bafana Bafana arrive seeking to mark their return to the world stage on the same pitch where their World Cup story began.