MEXICO CITY: Mexico City is gearing up to welcome more than five million visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, whose opening match will be played in the sprawling megacity, authorities said Wednesday. The top football tournament will be held in Mexico, the United States and Canada, marking the first time that three countries co-host the event.

Three of the 16 venues will be in the Latin American nation, with the central city of Guadalajara and northern industrial hub of Monterrey sharing Mexico’s host duties with the capital. Eleven other venues will be in the United States and two in Canada. Mexico’s government and city authorities are working together “to ensure that the experience is safe and smooth,” Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez said at a presentation.

“More than five million people are expected to arrive” for the matches in Mexico City, which has around nine million residents and is more than 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) above sea level, she said. The iconic Azteca Stadium, which has hosted two FIFA World Cup finals, is on track to be renovated by the time the whistle blows for the opening match on June 11, according to organizers.

More than $100 million is being invested in the stadium, its general director Felix Aguirre said, promising that it “will be ready.” The renovation triggered controversy after the venue was renamed after the bank that funded the work. FIFA ordered the stadium to be referred to as Mexico City Stadium because of its branding rules. Addressing security concerns in a country plagued by criminal violence, Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said 40,000 new security cameras would be acquired, bringing the total to 123,000. “We will be the most video-surveilled city in all of the Americas,” she said. Organizers called for a World Cup free of homophobia, racism and other attacks on civil liberties. FIFA has repeatedly sanctioned Mexico for homophobic chanting by its fans in stadiums. 

Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium was among the eight venues announced by FIFA on Wednesday due to stage matches at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Belo Horizonte, capital Brasilia, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador and Sao Paulo are the other host cities for the first edition of the tournament in South America.

All of the stadiums were also used for the 2014 men’s World Cup hosted by Brazil. As it was just over a decade ago, when Germany beat Argentina after extra time, the final will be played at the iconic Maracana. “From samba to frevo, from stunning beaches to cosmopolitan cities, the world will experience the energy, colour and warmth that only Brazil can offer,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

“The women’s game continues to grow at an extraordinary pace, and bringing the tournament to Brazil will inspire a new generation across the continent and beyond,” added FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. The eight cities were chosen from a list of 12 with Belem, Cuiaba, Manaus and Natal missing out. — AFP