Fan dies in fall at Mexico City stadium reopening

The Azteca Stadium sits in Mexico City, 100 days before the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA soccer World Cup, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

MEXICO CITY - A man died in Mexico City’s newly renovated Estadio Banorte on Saturday after falling from a box seat area shortly before the stadium’s reopening match, security officials said.

The accident occurred just as the venue, known as the Azteca Stadium, hosted a friendly between Mexico and Portugal. The match is intended to serve as a stress test for the facility after an around-the-clock construction push to meet Saturday’s deadline.

The stadium, scheduled to hold the opening ceremony on June 11, is to be the first to host matches in three different World Cups.

Authorities said the man was intoxicated. He attempted to jump from the second-level box seats to the first level by climbing along the exterior of the structure before falling to the ground floor, they said.

Reporting by Natalia Siniawski and Janina Nuno Rios; Editing by William Mallard