The iconic Mexico City Stadium, where Pelé and Diego Maradona both enjoyed their finest moments, became the first stadium to host matches in three FIFA World Cup™ tournaments as it cemented its place in the competition’s history. Five FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches, featuring seven teams, were played there and produced the five biggest attendances of the tournament, with the imposing arena filled to its 80,824 capacity on each occasion – giving it a 100% occupancy.

One of the great football temples of the world, the majestic arena has a special mystique which captivates players and spectators alike. Its vertiginous, modern design – which belies the stadium’s 60 years – and the proximity of the fans to the pitch create a wall of noise and a unique atmosphere. "There is just something very special about Azteca," Pelé once said. "You need to be inside it, to feel it, to understand."

Officially opened in 1966, the Estadio Azteca – as it was previously known – took five years to build. It was a full year before work on the actual stadium could even begin. To achieve a firm surface on which a stadium could be built, 180 million kilograms of rock had to be dislodged from 64,000 square metres of land. Ten architects, 17 technicians, 35 engineers and 800 labourers worked day and night until they ultimately managed to dynamite the necessary rock.

In 1970, it hosted Brazil’s memorable third FIFA World Cup title, with Pelé among the scorers as they beat Italy 4-1, a performance capped by Carlos Alberto’s iconic fourth goal for the South Americans. Sixteen years later, Diego Maradona scored his famous “Hand of God” and Goal of the Century” goals against England on his way to leading Argentina to their second world title.

The stadium has, in fact, hosted four FIFA tournaments: the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA U-20 World Cup™ in 1983, the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ in 2011 and the FIFA Confederations Cup™ in 1999. And in 1971, Denmark won the Female Football Championship in Mexico, a precursor to the FIFA Women’s World Cup™.

Mexico Legend Hugo Sánchez, who played at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, said that bringing football’s flagship competition to the arena for a third time had made 2026 “a magical year”.

“We’re talking about the fact that, 40 years later, I had the opportunity to be back in this wonderful stadium, which has become truly historic, considering that it has now hosted three FIFA World Cups,” he said. “I hope future generations understand that football is something wonderful, that it brings people together across the world. And there’s so much to say about a stadium like this – not only do the fans inside enjoy the experience, but so do those watching the matches on television or on the giant screens set up throughout the streets, as we’ve seen during this FIFA World Cup.”

As in 1970 and 1986, the stadium hosted the opening match. Mexico and South Africa kicked off the tournament on 11 June 2026 – a repeat of their meeting in the opening game of the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010™ – and the hosts ran out comfortable 2-0 winners with goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez. Tens of thousands of joyous Mexican fans flooded the city’s famous Angel of Independence roundabout to celebrate – just as they were to do after every Mexico win in the tournament.

For the second game, the sea of green in the crowd was replaced by a sea of yellow as Colombian supporters filled the arena to cheer the South Americans on against Uzbekistan. This was another historic moment as the Central Asians, backed by a small but noisy group of drum-banging fans, made their FIFA World Cup debut. It felt very much like a home match for Colombia, who claimed a 3-1 win with goals from Daniel Muñoz, Luis Díaz and Jáminton Campaz, while Abbosbek Fayzullaev had the honour of scoring Uzbekistan’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal.

Mexico were back for the next match, against Czechia, and this was played in a festive spirit with the hosts having already guaranteed top spot in Group A. Czechia needed to win to have any chance of progressing but the hosts cruised to a 3-0 victory with second-half goals by Mateo Chávez, Quiñones, Álvaro Fidalgo, as the sound of “Cielito Lindo” echoed around the stadium.

The atmosphere was far more tense as Mexico then took on Ecuador, with the hosts bidding to win a FIFA World Cup knockout tie for the first time since 1986, when Manuel Negrete’s acrobatic goal gave them a 2-0 win over Bulgaria at the same stadium. An enthralling first-half display gave Mexico a 2-0 half-time lead, with goals by Quiñones and Jiménez, and they comfortably held out in the second half to claim a historic win. The crowd celebrated with a rousing rendition of “El Rey”, a classic ranchera song written by singer José Alfredo Jiménez.

That earned them a Round of 16 tie against England on 5 July, who were immediately impressed by the atmosphere in the Mexican capital. “It catches you straight away, once we landed here and saw the excitement and saw the emotions and the commitment of all the people towards the (FIFA) World Cup. We are in an iconic place, with an iconic stadium and we feel it,” said England coach Thomas Tuchel.

Mexico’s dream ended as England handed them a rare home defeat, winning a thriller 3-2 to join Costa Rica and Honduras as the only teams to beat Mexico in a competitive match at the stadium.

The game ended Mexico’s involvement as a host nation and closed another chapter in the history of one of the world’s great football arenas. The FIFA Fan Festival, the best attended of the 13 at the tournament, remains open until the final on Sunday, 19 July.

Despite a bitter end, the tournament will leave behind happy memories for years to come, as former Mexico goalkeeper Jorge Campos explained. “I think we’ve witnessed one of the greatest FIFA World Cups in history. We truly enjoyed the matches and the incredible atmosphere created by all the fans who gathered at the Angel of Independence. We saw plenty of goals– something Mexico hadn’t experienced in a very long time,” he said. “We’re leaving very happy, but also with tears in our eyes because we wanted to stay here at Mexico City Stadium a little longer. We’ll never forget this experience.”