Footage of stadium due to host World Cup opener sparks fears it won't be ready

There are fears that the stadium scheduled to host the opening match of the 2026 World Cup might not be ready in time.

On June 11, 2026, the FIFA World Cup will kick off, with the tournament taking place across the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.

The opening match of the tournament between Mexico and South Africa is scheduled to take place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

However, in recent weeks, there have been fears that the stadium might not be ready in time to host the opening match of the World Cup.

England could also be impacted, as there is the chance that Thomas Tuchel's men will play against Mexico at the Azteca in the round of 16 if the Three Lions win their group.

Recently, YouTuber Armand Alejandre visited the Azteca to deliver an update on the planned renovations.

Alejandre showed what the surrounding areas of the stadium currently look like.

Mexico are under pressure to get the Estadio Azteca finished on time. Image: Getty

As shown in the video, there are ongoing construction works around the outside of the stadium.

The inside of the stadium was also shown in the video, with fans allowed an insight into the progress of the work being done ahead of the World Cup.

Reacting in the comments section, one fan said: "This area is awful... it makes you not want to walk around there."

Another wrote: "Like any good Mexican...we leave everything to the last minute."

A third fan added: "It's been almost 10 years since we were announced as hosts of the World Cup, plenty of time to even build a new stadium from scratch. They're not going to finish it; it looks like it's only half-done."

Someone else commented: "Everything's a mess, from miles away, everything's a race against time."

A fifth said: "What a fiasco that so-called remodelling was! It was really just a patch job, and they're not going to finish it on time... a total disgrace..."

Speaking recently, Emilio Azcárraga Jean, owner of the stadium and Club América, touched on the timeline of work being done on the Azteca.

As per The Sun, he said: "This first stage, which ends on March 28 with the reopening, is important. Then we’ll continue with the remaining work needed for the World Cup, and after that, because there are many things that, due to the complexity of the project, can’t be done.

"For example, the large parking lot outside the stadium, where we had to get rid of a lot of trash, we will have to do that after the World Cup."

Azcárraga Jean added: "There was an issue with the lighting of the columns that wasn’t quite right, so that will be addressed later. It’s also about maintaining a consistent maintenance system, which I think was lacking in the past."