The only stadium to host three World Cup openers will honor the legends who made it sacred ground in 1970 and 1986.

Estadio Azteca is about to do something no other stadium on Earth has done: host a third World Cup opening match. And when it does on June 11, the ceremony will include a tribute to the two men most responsible for turning the venue into football’s most hallowed ground, Pelé and Diego Maradona.

The opening match will pit co-host Mexico against South Africa, but the pregame spectacle might overshadow the kickoff itself. Shakira, Burna Boy, Tyla, J Balvin, and Alejandro Fernández are all set to perform, with Shakira and Burna Boy delivering the official anthem “Dai Dai.” Still, the emotional centerpiece will be the tribute to two players whose World Cup-winning moments at Azteca became the sport’s most enduring mythology.

Why Azteca is the only stadium that could pull this off

Pelé lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy there in 1970, completing what many consider the most beautiful World Cup campaign ever played. Then in 1986, Maradona delivered what might be the single greatest individual tournament in football history, capped by Argentina’s triumph on the same pitch. His “Hand of God” goal and his solo run against England, both scored at Azteca, remain the two most debated and celebrated goals in World Cup history.

Both men have since passed. Pelé died in December 2022 at age 82. Maradona died in November 2020 at age 60. A tribute at the exact venue where they cemented their legacies carries a weight that no other stadium could replicate.

The fact that Azteca is the first stadium ever to host three World Cup opening matches only adds to the symbolism. It previously hosted openers for the 1970 and 1986 tournaments, the same years Pelé and Maradona won their titles there.

A renovated cathedral

The stadium officially reopened in March 2026 following extensive renovations, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino on hand for the occasion. Azteca was originally built in 1966, and six decades of use had taken their toll.

FIFA’s decision to award Azteca the opening match rather than spreading it across the three co-hosting nations (the US, Mexico, and Canada) was a deliberate nod to the venue’s historical significance. The tournament’s final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The renovations were designed to bring the stadium up to modern FIFA standards. For a venue that seats over 80,000, that’s no small engineering feat.

Source: Crypto Briefing