France, June 8 -- Just over 107,000 people packed into the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City for its inaugural game on 29 May pitting Club America against the Italian side Torino.

Some 60 years later and with a maximum capacity at 87,000 fans, the arena will be the stage for the opening game of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa.

At 2,200m above sea level, the Azteca sits in a realm of its own among the Mexican stadiums at the World 2026 Cup.

It is 700m higher than the stadium in Guadalajara and more than 1,600m higher than the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.

In an interview with the African football confederation's wesbite just after the draw was announced, the South Africa boss Hugo Broos outlined a triple challenge of ferven...