FIFA World Cup 2026: Azteca Stadium in Mexico to feature hybrid field, modern amenities

Azteca Stadium renovations for 2026 World Cup include hybrid field, new locker rooms, elevators, hospitality zones, and more.

A hybrid field, updated locker rooms, elevators and hospitality zones are among the new features of Azteca Stadium for the 2026 World Cup.

Ollamani, the sports entertainment company that owns the stadium, also confirmed Wednesday (June 11, 2025) that Azteca will reopen March 26, which will be 75 days before the start of the World Cup as Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada announced recently.

“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 said in a statement.

The iconic venue closed last May for renovations ahead of next year's 48-team competition hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The 83,000-seat Azteca, which recently was renamed, will host five games including the tournament opener. It also hosted the first matches in the 1970 and 1986 World Cups.

Ollamani, which is affiliated with Grupo Televisa, Mexico's largest television network, also said the stadium will have bigger capacity, but did not specify how many extra seats it will have.

It will be the second time that Azteca has a hybrid pitch — one was installed in 2018 but returned to natural grass a year later. The poor field conditions in November 2018 forced a last-minute change of venue for an NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams.