At the opening of the World Cup, Mexico City lives between celebration and chaos

Stage of the opening game of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa, which takes place at the Azteca Stadium this Thursday (11), Mexico City is celebrating hosting its third World Cup, but it is also living with chaos.

Works on some of the main roads in the Mexican capital, as well as at the Azteca Stadium itself and along the entire subway have caused inconvenience to the inhabitants of the metropolis.

To this scenario of structural reforms throughout the city are added the recent demonstrations by teachers, which threaten the order expected by FIFA and local political authorities for the opening of the World Cup.

Azteca: works and disorganization
This Thursday, Azteca will become the first stadium in the history of World Cups to host three editions of the World Cup.

However, visitors who pass by the site on the eve of the confrontation may think that the event will only take place in a few weeks or even months.

This is because, in addition to works near the stadium, in Azteca itself there are still employees working to try to finalize the necessary transformations, such as the placement of posters and panels with the visual identity of the 2026 World Cup.

Shoardings were also placed at access points to the Azteca esplanade, which is normally open to the general public.

The CNN Brasil report was at the stadium last Monday (8) to collect press credentials.

After waiting for approximately 1h30 and without the queue - which was attended by professionals from the most diverse areas - showing significant progress, the journalists were informed, after some insistence from them about the delay in the process, that there was another point close to the place where the credential could be collected.

At the FIFA Volunteer Center building, the wait lasted less than 30 minutes.

World Cup 2026: Opening stadium still undergoing works | LIVE CNN

When returning from the work day at the Azteca Stadium, the CNN Brasil report came across the various renovations being carried out in different metro stations in Mexico City.

In some of them, professionals work on the train access platform right next to pedestrians, who walk amidst the dust and noise of the machines.

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Zócalo: Fan Fest closes the historic center
In the Zócalo region, a historic landmark in the Mexican capital, fences prevent people from circulating in Constitution Square, which brings together some of the city's main tourist attractions.

The FIFA Fan Fest will be held there, where the World Cup matches will be shown on a large screen positioned in the center of the square. The space will also feature brand activations, stores and food and drink stands.

This Tuesday (9), the CNN Brasil report passed by the site and was able to observe employees on scaffolding painting the official logo of the 2026 World Cup on the tents set up in the square.

According to the FIFA website, access to Fan Fest is free and open to the public, "as long as the venue has not reached maximum capacity".

Teacher demonstrations
In addition to the inconvenience caused by the many construction projects spread across Mexico City, teachers have held repeated demonstrations in the last month.

Teachers linked to the CNTE (Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación) delivered to the country's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, an agenda in which they demand a series of issues, including a 100% salary increase, the reestablishment of a solidarity pension system and the reinstatement of positions for teachers who have been dismissed from their duties.

Mexicans protest near the World Cup stadium; understand | CNN PRIME TIME

Sheinbaum stated that the State does not have enough resources to grant teachers the required demands.

The CNTE, together with other professional sectors, plans a large demonstration at the Azteca Stadium on Thursday, the day of the opening game of the World Cup, taking advantage of the event's exposure to strengthen the reach of its agenda. Therefore, in recent days, the place has been surrounded by police.

Mexico and South Africa face each other this Thursday, at 4pm (Brasília time), at Azteca, in a microcosm of what the city has been like on the eve of the World Cup: a conflict between party, chaos and popular tensions.

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Source: CNN