Breaking Down the 2026 World Cup Stadiums, Pt. 2: Mexico | OneFootball

The 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada will feature 16 venues across the three nations. We continue our series which breaks down each host stadium, this time heading to Mexico. 

While Mexico is historically the most soccer-rich nation among the three 2026 World Cup host countries, only 13 matches will be played across Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara this summer.

Some fans will be placated in that the Azteca will host the opening ceremonies, but considering that it could very well be the most famous soccer venue in the world, there’s a strong argument to be had that Mexico was snubbed out of more games, perhaps even the final.

Nevertheless, let’s break down what we can expect from each stadium south of the United States border.

Estadio Azteca: Mexico City

Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Estadio Azteca is, without question, the most historic venue of the competition, and as mentioned above, maybe even in the entire world. The stadium has hosted two FIFA World Cup finals: Brazil’s 4–1 win over Italy in 1970 and Argentina’s emotional 3–2 victory over West Germany in 1986. It holds the unique distinction of being the only stadium where both Pelé and Diego Maradona lifted the World Cup trophy, and after 2026, it will be the only stadium to have ever hosted matches at three different World Cups.

The Azteca also hosted the “Game of the Century,” when Italy defeated West Germany 4–3 after extra time in the 1970 semifinals.

Home to Club América, Estadio Azteca is undergoing a massive renovation to upgrade facilities and to conform to FIFA regulations. It’s scheduled to reopen in March with a friendly match between Mexico and Portugal.

Its listed capacity is 83,000, but reports indicate that it could be expanded to as much as 90,000, and it will host five matches, including the opening ceremonies, this summer. However, no matches after the round of 16 is a bit of a letdown for such a historic stadium.

Confirmed matches: Mexico vs. South Africa (opener) and Uzbekistan vs. Colombia.

TBD matches: Mexico vs. UEFA Playoff D winner, one round of 32 match, one round of 16 match.

Estadio BBVA: Monterrey

Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Perhaps the most visually striking stadium of the tournament, Estadio BBVA sits against the backdrop of the Nuevo León mountains and holds 53,500 spectators. The stadium holds LEED silver certification for its sustainable design and has been the subject of countless Instagram carousel posts because of its picturesque location.

Home to Liga MX’s Monterrey, it hosted the CONCACAF W Championship in 2022 and will host four matches, tied for the least among any World Cup stadium. Unlike its fellow last-place title holder (more on it in a second), Estadio BBVA will get one knockout round match.

Confirmed matches: Tunisia vs. Japan, and South Africa vs. South Korea.

TBD matches: Tunisia vs. UEFA Playoff B winner, and one round of 32 match.

Estadio Akron: Guadalajara

Photo by Sergio Navarrete/Getty Images

Home to Chivas, one of Mexico’s most popular clubs, Estadio Akron opened in 2010 and will be capped at 48,000 for the World Cup. The stadium is no stranger to FIFA tournaments, having hosted eight matches at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Like Monterrey, Guadalajara will only see four matches this summer, but as an increased blow, it’s the only host city that won’t see a match in the knockout stage. How does a city get grouped?

As a minor consolation, Estadio Akron will host one of the inter-confederation playoffs, so at least some win-or-go-home stakes will enter the stadium at some point.

Confirmed matches: Mexico vs. South Korea and Uruguay vs. Spain.

TBD matches: South Korea vs. UEFA Playoff D winner and Colombia vs. FIFA Playoff 1 winner.