Since this Saturday, Mexico is targeting the 13 matches (Canada will also organize 13 and the United States, 78) that it will host as part of the 2026 World Cup. FIFA has made public all the dates and times of the matches. Mexican fans were waiting to see if the federation could give in to pressure from the United States and award matches with good teams and a good level to the three Mexican venues. Mexico City and Guadalajara smile, they lament in Monterrey.
Mexico City is a city spoiled thanks to the monumental presence of the Azteca Stadium (today called the capital). Residents of the capital will be able to see almost the entire journey of the Mexican team in the group stage. It all starts on Thursday June 11 against South Africa (1:00 p.m. Mexico time). The same day at 7:00 p.m. South Korea will face the European qualifiers (Ireland, Denmark, North Macedonia or Czech Republic) at the Chivas stadium in Guadalajara. On Thursday, June 18, Mexico will face the South Korean team at 7:00 p.m. in the capital Jalisco, while South Africa will face the European team in Atlanta (United States) the same morning. On Wednesday June 24, the last date of the phase, the winner of the play-offs will face Mexico at 7:00 p.m. at Azteca, while South Africa will face the Asians in Monterrey at the same time.
If the Mexican team finishes first in the group, they will be able to play the round of 16 at Azteca on June 30. Additionally, the Coloso de Santa Úrsula will host a round of 16 match on Sunday, July 5.
On top of that, Mexico City will be part of Colombia’s journey on the first day of the World Cup. The Colombians will face Uzbekistan in their World Cup debut at 8 p.m. at the colossal Azteca on June 17. Then, it is Guadalajara which will adorn itself by hosting at 8:00 p.m. the second match of the coffee growers against the qualifiers between New Caledonia, Jamaica and the Democratic Republic of Congo. on June 23. The pearl of Guadalajara also boasts of having played one of the flagship matches of the first round: Uruguay against Spain in Group H, the two most powerful in its sector ahead of Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. The match between those of La Fuente and those of Bielsa will take place on June 26 at 6:00 p.m.
Monterrey celebrated in advance. The governor of Nuevo León, Samuel García, had celebrated, even without a confirmed schedule, that he was going to receive the Netherlands. FIFA gave it a setback because the northern city will host the Dutch in Group F, but the matches they will have will be Tunisia against the winner of the reclassification between Ukraine, Sweden, Poland or Albania on June 14. There will also be the Tunisians’ match against Japan at 10 p.m. on June 20. Things will improve for the Monterrey team because in the round of 16 they will have a knockout match between the first place in group F and the second place in group C, where there will be Brazil, Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.
Memories of Guadalajara and Monterrey
The royal family was not considered to host the 1970 World Cup, but it was for the 1986 World Cup. The now defunct Tecnológico Stadium saw Spain’s 3–0 victory over Algeria. It was the headquarters of the entire group where Morocco, England, Poland and Portugal met. In the second round, the city’s other stadium, the Universitario, saw Germany win 1-0 against the Moroccans. In the next round, they were spectators of the Mexican defeat on penalties against the Germans and this was the last match they hosted.
Guadalajara hosted Pele’s Brazil in the 1970 World Cup in the group stage, quarter-finals and semi-finals at Jalisco Stadium. In 1986, it again hosted a match between Brazil and Spain (1-0 victory for the Brazilians) in the group stage and two others for the Canarinha against Algeria and Northern Ireland. The Spaniards played at the Stade du 3 Mars against the Northern Irish and won 2-1. This same stadium, where first division football is no longer played, also hosted a Portugal-Morocco match. The Brazilians repeated in Jalisco in the round of 16 where they saw a 4-0 victory over Poland. However, in the quarter-finals, they saw the Brazilians lose on penalties to France. In the semi-final, they had to witness Germany’s victory against the French (2-0).