Could Estadio Azteca be stripped of its World Cup inauguration?

With renovations astatine Estadio Azteca moving down schedule, immoderate are informing that FIFA could portion the iconic stadium successful confederate Mexico City of World Cup hosting duties.

Are they simply alarmists, oregon are their concerns warranted?

Emilio Azcárraga, president of Grupo Ollamani, owners of Estadio Azteca, said helium was assured that the renovations would beryllium completed successful clip for the World Cup, but besides said helium was “not sure” if the deadlines would beryllium met. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)

A quarterly fiscal study submitted to the Mexico Stock Exchange past week by Grupo Ollamani president Emilio Azcárraga indicates that the consortium itself believes a “possible disqualification oregon relocation of cardinal matches by FIFA” is simply a genuine hazard for its shot business.

In the report, Ollamani, which owns Estadio Azteca, the Mexico City shot nine América and Grupo Televisa’s casinos, listed arsenic a interest the “failure to conscionable deadlines for the remodeling works and unforeseen costs.”

Last Friday, Azcárraga visited the stadium — officially renamed Estadio Banorte aft the slope tendered a 2.1 cardinal peso (US $121 million) indebtedness to money the renovation task — and delivered conflicting messages astir the presumption of the project.

While expressing optimism that the renovations would beryllium completed connected time, helium added that helium was “not sure” astir the chances of gathering the people dates. He besides admitted that the enactment is down schedule.

Given the existent situation, Azcárraga explained that the task volition beryllium divided into 3 stages. The archetypal would reason astatine the extremity of March, with the authoritative reopening acceptable for March 28, erstwhile Mexico is scheduled to big Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal successful a friendly. 

The 2nd phase, focused connected the minimum renovations indispensable to conscionable the June 11 inauguration day erstwhile El Tri is scheduled to look South Africa, would statesman connected March 29. 

Once the tourney is over, the 3rd and last signifier would statesman to implicit the remaining renovations, which Azcárraga said are mostly extracurricular the stadium, including the improvement of a parking lot.

Poised to go the archetypal stadium to big 3 abstracted inaugural World Cup matches, Estadio Azteca was closed successful June 2024 with the committedness that it would beryllium wholly renovated successful clip for the 2026 World Cup.

However, Azcárraga explained, determination were difficulties from the outset related to the request for changeless maintenance, which had been lacking for years.

“But present things are overmuch calmer and progressing,” helium insists.

These are each the upgrades coming to Mexico City up of the World Cup

In summation to lighting and all-new media facilities, the renovation task required the demolition of sections of the stands to relocate locker rooms, the replacement of seats to conform to FIFA standards and the modernization of hospitality areas, among different things.

In bid to hole the last logistics astatine each venue, FIFA volition instrumentality afloat possession of the big stadiums successful Mexico, the United States and Canada successful aboriginal May. 

If it determines that conditions astatine Estadio Azteca earnestly compromise the optimal improvement of the opening match, the determination to relocate could beryllium made. 

With reports from El País, Marca, Deportes RCN and Esto