As the 2026 World Cup draws closer, Mexico City is receiving the lion’s share of both attention and investment. And while CDMX will host the kick-off match and six more games, two other Mexican cities are also getting ready to co-host the tournament.
Monterrey, Nuevo León, will host four World Cup games, as will Guadalajara. The Rayados stadium in Monterrey holds 53,500 people and millions more visitors are expected to flock to the state capital in June to attend the FIFA Fan Festival.
Nos estamos preparando para ofrecer el mejor FanFest del Mundial 2026. 🎉⚽️
En Fundidora vamos a celebrar cada gol, cantar, bailar y vivir el Mundial como en ningún otro lugar. ¿Estás Listo? ¡Ponte Nuevo, Ponte Mundial!🔥🦁 pic.twitter.com/PSn5TAi5of
— El Gobierno de Nuevo León (@nuevoleon) November 25, 2025
The state government will invest in new highways, metro lines and bus fleets, and will make significant improvements to public spaces to prepare for the World Cup and support the long-term development of the city.
Governor Samuel García announced a budget of 150 billion pesos (US $8 billion) for his six-year term, which includes funding for all the planned World Cup projects.
“This is a historic investment in infrastructure that includes sports, culture, infrastructure and mobility,” said García. “150 billion pesos are earmarked for this six-year term, and now we must spend them over five years to be ready for the World Cup,” he said at a press conference earlier in the year.
Monterrey’s urban transformation
In October, the Monterrey city government announced a strategic campaign entitled “The World Cup is in my Home, the World Cup is in Monterrey.”
The 1.6-billion-peso ($85.6 million) plan aims to integrate all local sectors and showcase the hospitality and way of life of the Monterrey community to the world, according to Mayor Adrián de la Garza Santos.
The government has launched several key initiatives under the “Monterrey brand.” These include:
- “My Beautiful Neighborhood” (Mi barrio bonito), which focuses on making improvements to Monterrey’s Barrio Antiguo (Old Quarter), such as the creation of a pedestrian-only zone during the World Cup and the installation of new street furniture and lighting.
- “Monterrey Paints Itself” (Monterrey se pinta solo), which will beautify the city through the creation of an art route with murals and sculptures.
- “Monterrey Experience” (Experiencia Monterrey), a digital and printed guide for both visitors and locals with routes, activities and dining options across the city.
The government is also improving Monterrey’s recreational spaces, with the development of an 80-hectare water park, which will include a 4,000-person capacity open-air amphitheater.
Fundidora Park will be renovated to hold Fan Fest, and the City is also developing a linear park along Constitución Avenue, with 41 kilometers of bike paths and pedestrian bridges crossing the Santa Catarina River. This will run under the monorail from the Obispado area to Fundidora Park and will include bike and pedestrian connections to the Rayados Stadium.
Transport
Governor García has outlined plans for multiple transport projects ahead of the World Cup, including the new 20-million-peso ($1.1 billion) Interserrana Highway, new metro lines, a bus fleet expansion and improved pedestrian links in the city.
Highways
The new Interserrana Highway is expected to span 3,143 kilometers and connect Texas in the United States with the rest of Mexico once complete. It will offer an alternative route to the Saltillo crossing in Coahuila.
In addition, the 5-billion-peso ($268 million) Gloria-Colombia highway, which is currently under construction, is expected to provide the fastest, safest, toll-free route from Mexico to the United States. The 102-kilometer road will run from Monterrey to the Colombia-Laredo border crossing.
Expanded bus network
Governor García has also promised to expand Monterrey’s bus network by delivering 4,000 new buses, developing 30 transfer centers and installing 500 bus stops, ahead of the World Cup.
The government plans to lease land in high-traffic public transportation areas to build 30 “transfer centers” across the metropolitan area.
“These will be covered transfer centers with drinking fountains, some even with air conditioning, so that people getting off the metro and catching a bus won’t be standing on the sidewalk in the blazing sun, but rather in a designated transfer center,” García said in an October press conference.
New metro lines
Improvements to the city’s metro network are also underway, including the development of the monorail Lines 4 and 6, and the remodeling of stations along Line 1.
In October, Lines 4 and 6 were 57% and 61% complete, respectively, according to government reports.
Once complete, Line 6 will connect the municipalities of Monterrey, Guadalupe, San Nicolás de los Garza, Apodaca and Escobedo with the international airport.
“The extension that will reach the airport will allow us to connect the entire Apodaca area to Monterrey, and it will also allow us… to connect with BBVA Stadium, Fundidora Park and other key areas for Fan Fest,” explained the state’s Mobility and Urban Planning Minister, Hernán Villarreal.
Expansion and remodeling projects are also underway at Monterrey International Airport.
We “are racing against the clock to complete the public transportation improvements,” said Bernardo Baranda, the Latin America Director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
Monterrey will host four matches, three in the group stage and one in the round of 16, as well as a playoff prior to the tournament in March. Between 350,000 and 400,000 visitors are expected for these matches.
With reports from Telediario, La Silla Rota, El Economista, El Universal and Milenio
