Mexico kick off 2026 tournament as the World Cup returns to a spiritual home

THE 2026 World Cup kicks off this week, not in the United States, but in Mexico, at the footballing shrine that is the Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, host of finals in 1970 and 1986.It means the southernmost country in North America is hosting the World Cup for a record third time, and though, like Canada, its pre-World Cup hype has been overshadowed by the at times overbearing and often controversial involvement of Fifa’s favourite co-host, the United States, it could end up being the best footballing experience of the three.