MEXICO CITY (AP) — A warm-up game between Mexico and Portugal ended in a scoreless draw Saturday night as Azteca Stadium reopened after nearly two years of renovations. 2026 world cup.
Gonzalo Ramos had the best scoring chance of the game in the 26th minute when he hit the goal post.
symbolic aztec stadiumIt hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, but will be closed from May 2024 for renovations in preparation for the next World Cup, and will host a total of five matches: three first round matches and two final tournament matches.
On Saturday, the Mexican team was without 12 players due to injury, including six starters who helped the team win. CONCACAF Nations League And last year’s Gold Cup.
The Portuguese also entered the game with some absences, most notably forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Leão.
Mexico will open the tournament against South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City.
Mexico will play Belgium next Tuesday at Soldier Field in Chicago, while Portugal will face the United States at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Portugal will make their first appearance at the World Cup on June 17 when they will play the winner of the intercontinental play-off between Jamaica and Congo.
Pre-match protest
Before the game, a group of mothers searching for missing family members staged a protest outside the stadium, circumventing city government regulations restricting entry to ticket holders only.
The Mexican government said in a new report on Friday that it had identified signs of life in a third of the country’s 130,000 registered missing persons, but the announcement was quickly criticized by many search groups, who said it was yet another attempt to dig into the depths of the world. Mexican disappearance crisis.
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