Sports
Mexico City declares itself the ‘soul of the World Cup’ as its preps to host 2026 matches
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mexico City is finalizing preparations for the 2026 World Cup, with Estadio Azteca set to become the first venue to host matches during three World Cup tournaments. It was previously the scene of Pelé’s triumph in 1970 and Diego Maradona’s Cup win in 1986.
Neither of the other two Mexican venues existed when Mexico hosted the tournament before: The Estadio Akron in Guadalajara was founded in 2010 as the home of Liga MX team Chivas de Guadalajara, and the Estadio BBVA was inaugurated in 2015 as the home of the Liga MX team Rayados del Monterrey.
Diego Maradona holds up the World Cup trophy after Argentina beat West Germany in the World Cup final at Estadio Azteca on June 29, 1986.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mexico will face South Africa during the first match of the 2026 World Cup at Estadio Azteca, which has undergone about $80 million in renovations.
“The stadium is coming along nicely. We are working hard every day to be ready for the inauguration in March. Everything is going smoothly,” said Estefanía Padilla, head of marketing and operations for the Mexico City World Cup headquarters.
Organizers are preparing to open the renovated stadium on March 28 when Mexico will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in a friendly match that will mark the end of the work that began in the middle of last year. The organizers also had to resolve a dispute over luxury boxes. After 18 months of litigation, the luxury box owners won the right to use them during the World Cup without paying additional fees. They demanded that an agreement dating to the stadium’s construction six decades ago, which grants them unlimited access to their seats for 99 years, be honored.
Mexico City expects to receive around 5.5 million tourists, so improvements also have been made to infrastructure, airports and transportation. Beyond that, Padilla said, the World Cup will be an opportunity to show the world the cultural richness of Mexico’s capital. In addition to the stadium, the city has developed three pillars to attract fans: culture, entertainment and experiences, with more than 36 activities planned.
“Mexico City is the soul of the World Cup,” Padilla said. “Hopefully, everyone will be able to visit. Mexico is very famous internationally for its culture and gastronomy.”
In the cultural sphere, more than 12 museums will participate in World Cup events, including the Museo Franz Mayer. There also will be an exhibition by Annie Leibovitz at the National Museum of Anthropology.
The fan festival will be set up in the Zócalo, the main public square in the historic center of Mexico City, and will feature the largest video screen among all the World Cup venues. It is expected to attract 60,000 spectators per day, more than 100,000 during Mexico’s matches and a total of about 2.5 million during the tournament.
In terms of entertainment, concerts are being planned at the National Auditorium featuring international artists and a fashion show highlighting clothing made in Mexico.
A young Mexican soccer fan blows a horn while watching a 2014 World Cup match on big screens in Mexico City.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
However, security concerns remain ever present in the capital, as organized crime violence has continued to plague the country in recent months, with a new wave of violence linked to drug trafficking that has affected the popularity of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“We have developed a comprehensive plan that coordinates all levels of government. Our goal is to ensure that this event takes place in a safe environment for everyone,” said Gabriela Cuevas, federal coordinator for the World Cup, during a recent presentation alongside Sheinbaum.
Sheinbaum joined President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during the World Cup draw ceremony Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
Guadalajara is the ‘most Mexican venue,’ organizers say
Pelé holds a ball before Brazil’s World Cup practice in Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 5, 1970.
(GB / Associated Press)
Guadalajara will host Mexico’s second match, and it will be the first time the national team played there in a World Cup. The city’s Estadio Jalisco did previously host one of Brazil’s great teams led by Pelé in 1970.
Preparation of a newer stadium, Estadio Akron, for this World Cup began five years ago and is 85% complete. According to the organizers, the venue, which will be called Estadio Guadalajara during the tournament, is ready to host two intercontinental playoff games in March, in something of a World Cup preview, and then actual World Cup matches in June.
So far only minor adjustments have been made, mainly to bring the pitch up to FIFA standards.
Ainara Zatarain, director of stadium operations, said the city seeks to project itself as “the most Mexican,” with distinctive gastronomic and cultural offerings. She also highlighted the FIFA fan festival that will be set up in the city center. Jalisco expects to attract 3 million tourists during the tournament, which is why 40 new hotels have been built.
Zatarain recalled that the stadium was designed in the early 2000s specifically for a World Cup, completing the vision of the late Chivas owner Jorge Vergara.
“After 15 years we are fulfilling Jorge Vergara’s dream, which was to have a World Cup in the Guadalajara Stadium. For us, the changes have been minimal, and it has been more because, of course, several things have been updated over the years, such as the field that we now have in our stadium,” Zatarain said in Washington prior to the World Cup draw.
Guadalajara seeks to stand out for its cuisine, tequila, mariachis and cultural traditions.
“We say that we are the most Mexican city or the most Mexican venue,” Zatarain said. “We have an impressive gastronomic variety, and we invite you to try all the traditions and culture that we have in our state and in our city. Guadalajara is something unique.”
However, the city also faces problems with violence and transportation difficulties around the stadium.
Local authorities estimate that the World Cup will generate $1 billion for the state of Jalisco.
Monterrey focuses on completing improvements
Monterrey, Mexico’s third host city, made significant investments in infrastructure, the airport and Estadio BBVA for the World Cup. The investments include more than $6 million in stadium renovations and $416 million in airport renovations as well as upgrades to public transportation, urban image projects and security.
Monterrey will have the newest stadium of the three Mexican venues — Estadio BBVA debuted in 2015 — and also will host continental playoff matches to be played from March 23 to 31.
“The most important challenge is mobility, without a doubt … and security,” said Francisco Rodríguez, head of television and commercial rights for the Monterrey venue.
“The challenge is to coordinate mobility, provide good security and keep the city clean.”
This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.
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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo made NBA history on Tuesday night.
Adebayo scored 83 points, all while setting league marks for free throws made and attempted in a game for the Miami Heat in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards. It is the second-highest scoring game for a player ever, only to Wilt Chamberlain’s famed 100-point game.
“An absolutely surreal night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game.
Adebayo started with a 31-point first quarter. He was up to 43 at halftime, 62 by the end of the third quarter. And then came the fourth, when the milestones kept falling despite facing double-, triple- and what once appeared to be a quadruple-team from a Wizards defense that kept sending him to the foul line.
He finished 20 of 43 from the field, 36 of 43 from the foul line, 7 for 22 from 3-point range.
After the game, he was seen in tears while he hugged his mother, Marilyn Blount, before leaving the floor after the game.
“Welp won’t have the highest career high in the house anymore,” Adebayo’s girlfriend, four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, wrote on social media, “but at least it gives me something to go after.”
MAGIC’S ANTHONY BLACK MAKES INCREDIBLE DUNK OVER FOUR DEFENDERS IN HISTORIC NBA GAME
Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat celebrates during the fourth quarter of the game against the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center on March 10, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The NBA’s previous best this season was 56, by Nikola Jokic for Denver against Minnesota on Christmas night. The last player to have 62 points through three quarters: one of Adebayo’s basketball heroes, Kobe Bryant, who had exactly that many through three quarters for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dallas on Dec. 20, 2005.
He wound up passing Bryant for single-game scoring as well. Bryant’s career-best was 81 — a game that was the second-best on the NBA scoring list for two decades.
Adebayo scored 31 points in the opening quarter against the Wizards, breaking the Heat record for points in any quarter — and tying the team record for points in a first half before the second quarter even started.
He finished the first half with 43 points, a team record for any half and two points better than his previous career high — for a full game, that is — of 41, set Jan. 23, 2021, against Brooklyn.
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Adebayo’s season high entering Tuesday was 32. He matched that with a free throw with 5:53 left in the second quarter, breaking the Heat first-half scoring record.
Adebayo’s 43-point first half was the NBA’s second-best in at least the last 30 seasons — going back to the start of the digital play-by-play era that began in the 1996-97 season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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BOSTON — Charlie McAvoy scored 39 seconds into overtime and Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 shots on Tuesday night to earn the Boston Bruins their 13th straight victory at home, 2-1 over the Kings.
Mason Lohrei scored midway through the third period to break a scoreless tie. But the Kings tied it five minutes later when Drew Doughty’s shot from the blue line deflected off the heel of Bruins forward Elias Lindholm and into the net.
It was the seventh straight time the teams had gone to overtime in Boston.
In the overtime, Mark Kastelic blocked a shot in the defensive zone and made a long pass to David Pastrnak, who waited for McAvoy to come into the zone. The Bruins’ defenseman and U.S. Olympian, who went to the locker room at the end of the second period after taking a puck off his mouth, skated in on Darcy Kuemper and went to his backhand for the winner.
Kuemper stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who entered the night one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The victory kept Boston in possession of the East’s second wild-card spot.
Swayman tied his career high with his 25th win of the season. The Bruins haven’t lost at the TD Garden since before Christmas.
After the game, Kings forward and future Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar stayed on the ice to shake hands with the Bruins after what is expected to be his last game in Boston.
Sports
Jon Jones requests UFC release after Dana White says legend was ‘never’ considered him for White House card
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Mixed martial arts legend Jon Jones ended his retirement from UFC simply because he wanted a spot on the “Freedom 250” fight card at the White House in June.
But, when UFC CEO Dana White announced the card during UFC 326 this past weekend, Jones wasn’t among the fighters. As a result, he has requested a release from his UFC contract.
White was candid when asked about Jones following the UFC 326 card.
Jon Jones of the United States of America reacts after his TKO victory against Stipe Miocic of the United States of America in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, 2024 in New York City. ((Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images))
“Never, ever, ever, which I told you guys a hundred thousands times, was Jon Jones ever even remotely in my mind to fight at the White House,” White explained, per CBS Sports. “Some guy with Meta Glasses filmed him talking about his hips – that his hips are so bad. And I don’t know if you guys saw that flag football game where he can barely run. Jon Jones retired because of his hips. He’s got arthritis in his hips. Apparently, doctors say he should have a hip replacement.”
White added that “the Jon Jones thing is bulls—,” saying that he texted the fighter’s lawyer saying he would never be on the White House card despite Jones saying he was in negotiations for it.
UFC ANNOUNCES CARD FOR WHITE HOUSE EVENT
The Meta Glasses incident White is referring to came from a viral video, where Jones, unaware he was being filmed, discussed issues with his hips to a fan.
On Monday, Jones composed a thorough response to White’s comments about him and the White House Card. He previously posted and deleted social media explanations, but Monday’s appeared to be his final statement on the matter.
UFC President Dana White speaks after UFC Fight Night at Toyota Center on Feb. 21, 2026. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
“Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it’s painful, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight,” Jones, who retired a heavyweight champion in 2025, said. “So let me get this straight, if I had accepted the lowball offer, suddenly my hip would be fine and I’d be on the White House card? That doesn’t make sense. I even received stem cell treatment last week to get ready for the White House card, and training camp was scheduled to start today. I was preparing to be ready.
“I understand business deals fall through sometimes, but going out publicly and saying things that aren’t true isn’t right. After everything I’ve given to the UFC, the years, the title defenses, the fights, hearing that I’m ‘done’ is disappointing. Especially when as recently as Friday UFC was calling me trying to get me on that White House card for a much lower number.”
Jones finished his statement by saying he “respectfully” asks to be released from his UFC contract.
Jon Jones enters the ring before facing Stipe Miocic in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City, New York. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“No more spins, no more games. Thank you to the real fans who know what’s up,” he wrote.
The UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.
Jones is considered one of the best UFC fighters of all time, owning a 28-1-1 record, which includes his last bout with Stipe Miocic, knocking him out to take the heavyweight title belt. He is also a two-time light heavyweight champion.
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