Mexico City (EFE).- With only a few days left until the 2026 World Cup officially kicks off, the more than 4,000 FIFA volunteers during the tournament in Mexico are already experiencing the World Cup atmosphere and are preparing to ensure that everything goes well in the thirteen matches that the country’s three host cities will host.
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In Mexico City, where the opening match will be held on June 11th, volunteers are already finalizing preparations to be ready for this date, amidst the nerves and excitement for the proximity of the start of the most important soccer tournament at the national team level.
More than 4,000 volunteers will support the organization of the 2026 World Cup
From FIFA’s ‘headquarters’ in the Mexican capital, 8.5 kilometers from the World Cup’s Estadio Azteca, 26-year-old Luis Mauricio Cruz Sánchez confessed to EFE that being part of the World Cup in his country is a «dream» that he will be able to «live» in a few days.
“It’s a dream because they come from all over the world, all the fans. It’s a party for the whole world. So the fact of being able to participate and be there at the opening match, it’s just something I can’t really conceive. It just blows my mind to know that I’m going to be there,” stated this Mexican student, who is studying International Business at the National Polytechnic Institute.
He will be part of the ‘tickets’ area and will be in charge of checking that fans have their ticket -whether physical or electronic- to access the matches.
More than nervous, he declared himself “enthusiastic” because there are only a few days left until the opening match between the national teams of Mexico and South Africa.
“Being so close to an event that every child grows up wanting (…) to play in, being able to go see one, then being part of one and being able to experience it so closely is simply a dream,” he insisted.
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Key facts
More than 100,000 applications to volunteer in Mexico
Although there were only a few thousand spots available, more than 100,000 Mexicans signed up to be volunteers for the World Cup, according to FIFA data provided to EFE.
The 4,000 young people selected after passing several tests and an in-person interview have been training and preparing for several months to be ready and clear on the logistics of the World Cup with the most teams (48).
Another one of them is 20-year-old Jefferson Corona, who knew clearly from the moment the host countries for 2026 were made official that he had to be part of the tournament.
«I looked for many ways. I found volunteering as one of the best ways to participate in the World Cup, since it was directly with FIFA (…) And fortunately I passed the whole process and I stayed», he explained.
Mexico will have three host cities in the 2026 World Cup
He found out he was hired in March and since that moment he feels “all the excitement” to be able to help visitors “take away a good impression” of Mexico City.
“You don’t just represent FIFA, you represent your city, your country. And it’s a huge responsibility because volunteers from different countries pass through this center (…) And you want them to take away a good impression,” he stated from the volunteer center.
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The 2026 World Cup will kick off on June 11 at the Mexico City Stadium (formerly Estadio Azteca) and will be held in the three North American countries: Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
In the case of Mexico, apart from the capital, the other two host cities are Monterrey (north) and Guadalajara (west).
