Estadio Azteca to undergo 2026 World Cup renovation: when will it start and where will Club América play?

On Sunday, FIFA announced that Estadio Azteca in Mexico City would host the opening game of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in Mexico, the United States and Canada. With a view to hosting the tournament, discussions have been ongoing for a number of years about renovating the stadium, the current home of Liga MX giants Club América. However, they will be able to keep playing at the largest stadium in Latin America for the time being.

At the end of 2023, chairman Emilio Azcárraga stated work would begin in February this year, but a reliable source close to AS México has revealed that may well not be the case, claiming no date has as yet been officially established.

As a result, Las Águilas are expected to continue playing at Estadio Azteca until the completion of Liga MX’s Clausura 2024 tournament, probably towards the end of May.

Where will América play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup?

América had been set to move to Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, where Cruz Azul and Atlante both currently play, but it seems that will only be the case for the second leg of their upcoming CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round tie against Real Estelí on Wednesday 14 February which had already been scheduled for that stadium. André Jardine’s men are currently in Nicaragua for the first leg, which will be played on Tuesday.

Club bosses remain locked in talks over when renovation will start at Estadio Azteca, although a meeting held on Friday has not led to any further news, at least in public.

When do Las Águilas play next at Estadio Azteca?

With three of Las Águilas’ next four matches scheduled away from home, they will not play in their own stadium until 21 February, when they host Mazatlán.

Three days later, they take on Cruz Azul in a Clásico Joven, with matches at home to Tigres, Atlético San Luis and Toluca to follow before the end of the Clausura 2024 regular season.