It is unclear whether Cristiano Ronaldo attended the reopening of the Estadio Azteca, but due to his injury, it remains a mystery whether he will be included in Portugal’s squad to face Mexico on March 28.
CR7 became the trump card that brought joy to the revival of “Coloso de Santa Ursula”, which was undergoing renovation work in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, it is unclear whether preparations will be made in time. Given this, there is already a “Plan B” and that is to bring in another international star, Lionel Messi.
Stadium that will host the opening and final games of the World Cup
Whether La Pulga will have the opportunity to compete at the new Estadio Azteca is entirely in the hands of Club América, where they will aim to return after the FIFA International break.
The Eagles’ board will return home after the Mexico-Portugal match, with the aim of playing the Conca Champions match and the remainder of the Clausura 2026 Liga MX season locally, including the Clasico Joven against Cruz Azul on April 11.
Based on this, if Club América and Inter Miami manage to advance to the quarter-finals of the Concacaf Champions Cup, they will face each other at this stage, with the first leg to be played from April 7th to 9th and the second leg from April 14th to 16th, with the Eagles hosting the second chapter.
FIFA is already aware of this decision, which means Estadio Azteca will be open again at least in April, before the facility is handed over in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in May.
When must Estadio Ciudad de Mexico be handed over to FIFA?
It must be remembered that according to the regulations, the host country (in this case Mexico) must hand over the stadium one month before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, so Estadio Azteca can host activities and events throughout April.
However, permission must be obtained from authorities to demonstrate that all safety requirements have been met and the modification is complete. This means that these matches will be played at the so-called Estadio Ciudad de Mexico.
April 11 – Club America vs. Cruz Azul (Liga MX) April 14-16 – Club America vs. Inter Miami (Conca Champions) April 18 – Club America vs. Toluca (Liga MX) April 25 – Club America vs. Atlas (Liga MX)
Therefore, if Cristiano Ronaldo does not arrive at the “Coloso de Santa Ursula”, “Plan B” could be Lionel Messi, with Inter Miami (drawing 0-0 with Nashville in the first leg) facing America (defeating 1-0 against Philadelphia Union) in the quarter-finals of the Conca Champions.
