Aztec Stadium in Mexico
Fan falls to his death in the World Cup stadium
Updated on March 29, 2026 – 12:24 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
When the Aztec Stadium reopens, a fan dies before kick-off. He jumped out of the VIP area over a parapet – and fell to the ground floor.
The Aztec Stadium in Mexico City has reopened its doors after a renovation break of almost two years – but the celebration ended with a death. Even before the World Cup test match between Mexico and Portugal (0-0), a drunk fan fell from the VIP area to the ground floor and died.
According to local police, the man wanted to jump from the second to the first floor – over the outside parapet. He fell to the ground floor. The paramedics present were unable to save him.
The stadium has been closed for renovations since May 2024. It had already hosted the World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986. Five games will take place there at the upcoming World Cup – three preliminary rounds and two knockout games. The World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the USA opens on June 11th with the game between Mexico and South Africa.
There were also several demonstrations in the area surrounding the stadium before the game, which drew attention to families of missing people, advocated for animal protection and protested against gentrification.
In terms of sport, both teams offered few highlights almost two and a half months before the start of the tournament. Both teams had to do without numerous players due to injuries – including Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been out since the end of February with a muscle injury in his left thigh. His representative Gonçalo Ramos had the best chance in the 26th minute, but only hit the post.
The other World Cup hosts also remained winless. Canada fought back from a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 against Iceland. The USA lost to Belgium 2:5.
