Ruben Ramirez, a community leader in Santa Ursula Coapa, is challenging expansion of Mexico City's Azteca Stadium ahead of the 2026 World Cup, asserting the project neglects the community's ancient rights. The stadium complex will expand its perimeter for shopping and leisure centres and undergo renovations including a hybrid field, new changing rooms, hospitality zones and seats. About 200,000 people live in the stadium's shadow, including Indigenous and native residents, many in poverty. The community already faces regular water outages, and residents warn expansion and increased demand will further threaten supply amid ageing infrastructure that loses 30-40%.
Ruben Ramirez is no stranger to political battles. As a community leader in Santa Ursula Coapa, a district in southern Mexico City, he's become adept at taking on developers and bureaucrats to protect his neighbourhood over the past decade. His latest fight may be his most ambitious yet: challenging the expansion of Mexico City's national stadium ahead of the 2026 football World Cup, which he claims neglects the community's ancient rights.
Mexico's national Azteca Stadium the largest in Latin America is a sprawling complex. In June next year, it will host the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, a tournament split between Mexico, Canada and the US. The stadium's perimeter will be expanded to include new shopping and leisure centres, and there will be renovation of the Azteca itself. Renovation of the Azteca stadium, expected to be finished in March next year, includes a hybrid field, new changing rooms, hospitality zones and new seats.
But about 200,000 people live in the stadium's shadows. They include Indigenous and native people, as well as the Santa Ursula Coapa community, located just a stone's throw from the main entrance. These individuals, many living in poverty, are quietly being affected by the World Cup plans, according to Ramirez. Chief among grievances is water or the lack of it. The community's water supply already experiences regular outages, and residents say it will be further threatened by stadium expansion due to increased demand.
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