A hybrid discipline, up to date locker rooms, elevators and hospitality zones are among the many new options of Azteca Stadium for the 2026 World Cup.
Ollamani, the sports activities leisure firm that owns the stadium, additionally confirmed Wednesday (June 11, 2025) that Azteca will reopen March 26, which will probably be 75 days earlier than the beginning of the World Cup as Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada introduced just lately.
“The centerpiece of the stadium’s renovation is the people who visit it. Our main objective is to substantially improve their experience in every way,” stadium director Felix Aguirre stated in a press release.
The iconic venue closed final May for renovations forward of subsequent yr’s 48-team competitors hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.
The 83,000-seat Azteca, which just lately was renamed, will host 5 video games together with the event opener. It additionally hosted the primary matches in the 1970 and 1986 World Cups.
Ollamani, which is affiliated with Grupo Televisa, Mexico’s largest tv community, additionally stated the stadium could have larger capability, however didn’t specify what number of additional seats it is going to have.
It would be the second time that Azteca has a hybrid pitch — one was put in in 2018 however returned to pure grass a yr later. The poor discipline situations in November 2018 pressured a last-minute change of venue for an NFL sport between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams.
“The pitch, being subjected to intensive use, will have a new ventilation and suction system, thereby achieving better recovery, stability and resistance,” Ollamani stated in a press release.
The new locker rooms will probably be situated on the heart of the stadium underneath the luxurious containers and with a tunnel main to the pitch. Before, they had been situated in the north and south a part of it.
“The challenge contains new services in the competitors areas, enhancing the expertise of the participant, followers and media in line with probably the most modern stadiums in the world,” the company said.
The plan includes installing large LED screens inside and outside the stadium. Before the renovations, the stadium had just two big screens that were installed in 2015.
Ollamani did not provided specific details about elevators or escalators. In the past, the only way to move between the lower and upper sections was using an old ramp.
The hospitality zones were also a necessity. The old stadium had a small concession area outside the venue, but inside there were no food courts and the fans were forced to buy from the vendors roaming the seating area.
Among other renovations, the stadium owner also announced a new press box area, improved restrooms, a 200-unit CCTV surveillance system and a new sound system.
Originally, a major renovation was planned including a shopping center and hotel, but residents of Santa Úrsula, a popular neighborhood located south of the capital, opposed them.
Ollamani said that the facade and the roof will be renovated “to improve the stadium appearance without losing its essence.” Earlier in the year, images were released of work done on the pitch and the lower seats. The luxury boxes apparently haven’t been touched because some owners refuse to release them to FIFA.
The box owners recently filed a complaint with Mexico’s consumer protection agency seeking clarity over use of the seating for the 2026 World Cup.
Published – June 12, 2025 10:36 am IST
