United 2026: FIFA bid evaluation task force day-one visit to Mexico City
NEW YORK: The United 2026 World Cup bid organisers issued the following statement about the inspection by FIFA’s 2026 bid evaluation task force:
FIFA’s 2026 bid evaluation task force began its technical tour of the United Bid of Canada, Mexico, and the United States by visiting Mexico City – the first of four United Bid Candidate Host Cities that the Task Force will visit and evaluate during their trip.
The technical tour – welcomed by the 2026 United Bid Co-Chairs and federation Presidents Steven Reed (Canada), Decio de Maria (Mexico), and Carlos Cordeiro (United States) along with the 2026 United Bid Directors – met this morning for a daily briefing and inspection visit overview before departing for a tour of Plaza de la Constitución (Zócalo), an historic outdoor city square and a proposed FIFA Fan Fest™ site.
Zócalo is considered the heart of Mexico City and has been a gathering place since the Aztec times, more recently having hosted public viewings of events including the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ and the Major League Baseball Series Festival in 2016.
Following the tour of Zócalo, the Task Force then visited one of the United Bid’s 84 proposed team base camps -Centro de Alto Rendimiento – before touring Estadio Azteca, the largest stadium in Mexico and the official home of the Mexican National Team.
Estadio Azteca is one of only two venues in the world to have hosted two FIFA World Cup™ Finals (1970 and 1986). Originally constructed in 1966, the stadium has had extensive renovation and restorations and has recorded audiences of more than 107,000 fans for football and 132,000 for boxing in the past.
UNITY, OPPORTUNITY, AND CERTAINTY IN FOCUS
Today’s tour highlighted the United Bid’s commitment to bringing three neighboring countries together – UNITED, AS ONE – to provide FIFA and its Member Associations with a new and sustainable blueprint for hosting future FIFA World Cups™. Mexico City – one of the United Bid’s 23 qualified Candidate Host Cities – reflects these values:
UNITY-Mexico City’s vision as a Candidate Host City is to continue with the tradition of inclusion and sustainability as sporting pillars, united as a team in sport for the world. Football plays an important role in Mexico City’s tradition and is the most practiced sport among its citizens. United, the city will offer an experience of hospitality, enriched by local traditions and culture.
OPPORTUNITY-Greater Mexico City is also the largest metropolitan area of the Western Hemisphere and the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world. Tourism in Mexico City – an ancient city where the Old World and New World come together – boasts the most sophisticated hospitality sector in Latin America and welcomes more than 13.6 million tourists annually.
CERTAINTY-Mexico City – which has hosted two FIFA World Cup™ Finals and hosts an average of 75 professional football matches each year – will draw on its experience hosting international sporting events to provide special cultural, gastronomic, and entertainment offerings for fans and visitors from around the world.
Additional information can be found in the United 2026 Bid Book, available here:http://resources.fifa.
SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE
Throughout the technical tour, the United Bid will share updates on Twitter (@united2026).
TWEET OF THE DAY
@United2026
We kick off FIFA’s Bid Evaluation Task Force tour today in Mexico City! Follow us here for a behind the scenes look at some of the venues and locations that make up our Unite2026 Bid. #FIFATour2026 #Unity2026 #Certainty2026 #Opportunity2026
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
This evening, the 2026 Bid Evaluation Task Force travels to Atlanta, their second stop on the technical tour. Their upcoming schedule includes:
Atlanta: April 10 – April 11
Toronto: April 11 – April 12
New York / New Jersey: April 12 – April 13
