Pocket Guide · Host Cities — May 2026

World Cup. ’26

A pocket guide to Mexico’s three World Cup host cities — practical tips on getting around, where to stay, eating, paying and arriving like you’ve been before.

Explore the host cities Plan your trip

Ciudad de México 5 Matches at Estadio Ciudad de México

Guadalajara 4 Matches at Estadio Guadalajara

Monterrey 4 Matches at Estadio Monterrey

13 Total matches on Mexican soil

Welcome

Bienvenidos to Mexico.

For 39 days in the summer of 2026, the world’s most followed sporting event comes home to a country that has lived and loved fútbol like few others.

Mexico is one of only three nations hosting this World Cup, and the first country ever to do so three times. The opening match — host nation Mexico against a group rival — is played in Mexico City, the same stadium where Pelé lifted the trophy in 1970 and Maradona wrote himself into history in 1986.

This guide is built for a visitor who wants more than the match. Crafted by Anchor Relocation Worldwide — the team that has helped expats and travelers settle into Mexico since 2008 — it brings together insider picks for eating, exploring, and traveling smart across the three host cities, plus the magic towns nearby worth a half-day trip.

This guide at a glance

104Matches — the longest World Cup in history
3Host nations — Mexico, USA & Canada
13Matches on Mexican soil
3Mexican host cities

How to use it: skim before you fly, open it again the morning you land. Read the host-city section for where you are, pick a pueblo mágico for a free day, and keep the essentials page on hand — it’s the one you’ll thank us for.

Context

A legacy match.

Mexico doesn’t just host this World Cup. It is part of the tournament’s memory.

In 1970, Pelé’s Brazil lifted a third trophy at Estadio Azteca — the side many still consider the greatest team ever assembled. In 1986, Diego Maradona produced two of the most replayed moments in football history in that same stadium: the Hand of God and the slalom run past five Englishmen. In 2026, with the ground now known as Estadio Banorte (branded “Estadio Ciudad de México” during the tournament under FIFA’s sponsor-free naming policy), the World Cup returns for a third time — a record no other country can claim.

This is also the largest World Cup yet: 48 teams, 104 matches, three host nations, and a window that runs more than five weeks. Mexico’s share — 13 matches across three cities — includes the opening game on June 11 and runs through the early knockout rounds.

The host cities

Three cities, thirteen matches.

Each with its own character, cuisine, and pueblos mágicos within a day-trip’s reach. Pick your city.

Ciudad de México Mexico City

5 matches

Estadio Ciudad de México

Where two of the World Cup’s greatest stories were written. And where the food scene is having its own historic moment.

Museo Nacional de Antropología
Centro Histórico & Templo Mayor
Casa Azul — Museo Frida Kahlo

Explore Mexico City

Guadalajara Guadalajara

4 matches

Estadio Guadalajara

The most Mexican of Mexico’s cities. Where mariachi was invented, tequila is distilled an hour away, and a new generation of chefs are rewriting what Jalisco cooking can be.