MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico and Portugal played to a scoreless draw on Saturday night in a warmup match that marked the reopening of the Azteca Stadium after nearly two years of renovations for the 2026 World Cup.
Goncalo Ramos had the best scoring chance in the match when he rattled the goalpost in the 26th minute.
The iconic Azteca Stadium, which hosted the finals of the 1970 and 1986 World Cup tournaments, has been closed since May 2024 for renovations for the upcoming World Cup, where it will host five matches: three in the first-round and two in the knockout stages.
“Individually, everyone, or almost everyone, responded well,” said Mexico coach Javier Aguirre. “Yes, there are some inconsistencies, which is normal, but I’m happy with the performance.”
“Obviously, I don’t want to ignore the fact that some players are out injured. As I said, there are 12 players who are missing, players who helped us win the Nations League and the Gold Cup,” Aguirre added.
The Portuguese also faced the match with absences, most notably those of forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Leão.
Mexico plays South Africa at the Azteca in the June 11 tournament opener.
“For us it is important to face these types of rivals, who are among the best in the world because it shows us what level we are at," said midfielder Erik Sanchez. "Now we have to think about doing things well against Belgium.”
The Mexicans will play against Belgium next Tuesday at Soldier Field in Chicago, while Portugal face the United States at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Portugal will make its debut in the World Cup on June 17 against the winner of the intercontinental playoffs match between Jamaica and Congo.
Security authorities said a fan in the VIP box area of the reopened stadium fell from the second level and died shortly before the match commenced.
“An intoxicated fan attempted to climb from the second to the first level by jumping over the outside, causing him to fall to the ground floor,” local police said. “He was attended to by medical personnel, but unfortunately, he lost his life”.
Before the match, groups of mothers searching for missing family members staged protests outside the stadium, bypassing city government controls that restricted access to ticket holders only.
Mexico’s government said in a new report Friday that it had identified signs of life for a third of the country’s 130,000 registered missing people, an announcement that was quickly criticized by a number of search groups who called it another attempt to undermine the depth of Mexico’s disappearance crisis.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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