How Jalisco is getting ready to welcome the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

When Guadalajara past hosted a FIFA World Cup, Diego Maradona inactive ruled the pitch. That was 1986, a beingness agone successful the beingness of Jalisco’s capital. Nearly 40 years later, the metropolis is preparing erstwhile again to instrumentality its spot connected the planetary stage, this clip arsenic portion of the largest World Cup successful history.

From June 11 to July 19, 2026, 48 teams volition play 104 matches crossed the United States, Canada and Mexico. Guadalajara volition big 4 of those matches astatine Estadio Akron, including 1 featuring Mexico’s ain nationalist team. For the archetypal time, “El Tri” volition play a World Cup crippled connected Jalisco soil, and section pridefulness is moving high.

Guadalajara to big 2026 FIFA World Cup matches

Akron Stadium successful Guadalajara volition big 4 matches during adjacent year’s World Cup. (Alejan98/Wikimedia Commons)

Guadalajara’s transportation to shot runs deep. The metropolis was a big venue for the 1970 and 1986 World Cups and has agelong been 1 of Mexico’s shot capitals, location to the legendary Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas) and Atlas FC. Estadio Akron, located successful the Zapopan suburb, has already seen planetary action. It was a large venue for the 2011 Pan American Games and the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The stadium volition erstwhile again instrumentality halfway signifier connected June 11, 18, 23 and 26, 2026, erstwhile tens of thousands of fans are expected to capable its 48,000 seats. But the preparations taking signifier crossed Jalisco spell good beyond the matches themselves.

Less than a twelvemonth earlier kickoff, Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro met with President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo successful Mexico City to contiguous an ambitious slate of projects designed to fortify Jalisco’s role. The gathering focused connected concern crossed infrastructure, mobility, security, hospitality and culture. The authorities projects that much than 2.5 cardinal visitors volition get successful Jalisco during the World Cup, a large boost for the section system and a accidental to showcase the state’s tourism individuality connected a planetary scale.

Infrastructure upgrades and different World Cup preparations are underway

Central to that translation is simply a 2.5 cardinal peso rehabilitation of the Chapala Highway, the cardinal artery connecting Guadalajara International Airport with the metropolitan area. The task includes caller lanes, improved lighting, and modernized nationalist transport access. Plans for the city’s aboriginal Line 5 metro are tied to the aforesaid corridor.

The Guadalajara International Airport is besides expanding, portion of a broader upgrade of Mexico’s large aerial gateways. With much planetary flights expected from North America, the airport’s capacity, information and customs facilities are being scaled up to grip the expected surge successful rider traffic.

Security remains different pillar of the state’s preparations. The modernization of the C5 Escudo Jalisco surveillance system, a web of cameras and power centers, is underway to show cardinal areas during the tournament.

Jalisco is readying its destinations and edifice rooms

The Pueblo Mágico of Tequila is among respective to get a facelift successful mentation for the World Cup. (Austin Curtis/Unsplash)

Jalisco already offers astir 83,000 edifice rooms, but different 38 hotels are successful improvement with an estimated concern of 20 cardinal pesos. These caller properties volition beryllium dispersed crossed Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Costalegre, Tapalpa and Autlán. To enactment sustainable growth, Jalisco is offering incentives for hotels that follow greenish gathering practices, similar reusable h2o systems and renewable energy. The authorities is launching hospitality academies successful Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta to assistance bid and certify hospitality staff, from beforehand table to housekeepers, and everyone successful between. 

Puerto Vallarta, successful particular, is expected to spot indirect benefits. Many visitors volition apt divided their clip betwixt Guadalajara and the coast, combining matches with formation escapes. The state’s Pacific destinations are already fashionable among planetary travelers, and further aerial routes and edifice investments are expected to heighten that draw.

State taste assets volition beryllium displayed for visitors

Jalisco’s preparations aren’t each astir roads and rooms. The authorities is leaning heavy connected its taste assets to marque the World Cup a solemnisation of identity. In Guadalajara’s historical center, a World Cup Fan Festival volition alteration the plazas into a hub of music, creation and gastronomy, featuring mariachi performances, charreadas and determination cuisine.

Beyond the capital, the state’s 12 Pueblos Magicos, including Tapalpa, Mazamitla, Lagos de Moreno and Tequila, are undergoing beautification projects nether the Rutas Magicas de Color initiative. These efforts purpose to amended nationalist spaces and fortify tourism infrastructure up of the planetary spotlight.

The national Pueblos Mágicos programme itself is besides evolving. The Tourism Ministry precocious announced caller classification tiers — A, AA, AAA — that volition measure each town’s readiness based connected sustainability, work quality, and innovation. Evaluations are expected to reason by precocious 2025.

Jalisco is becoming a planetary lawsuit hub

Officials foretell the World Cup is conscionable the commencement of a larger propulsion to presumption Jalisco arsenic a planetary lawsuit hub. Later that aforesaid year, Guadalajara volition big ITB Americas, 1 of the world’s largest question commercialized shows, for the archetypal time. The just volition pull thousands of manufacture leaders from crossed the Americas and is expected to make astir US $12 cardinal successful tourism revenue.

Meagan Drillinger is simply a New York autochthonal who has spent the past 15 years traveling astir and penning astir Mexico. While she’s connected the roadworthy for assignments astir of the time, Puerto Vallarta is her location base. Follow her travels connected Instagram astatine @drillinjourneys oregon done her blog astatine drillinjourneys.com.