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Sunday’s Mexico-England showdown was the most-watched soccer match of the century in Mexico

MND Staff
By MND Staff
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match viewers
The 60 million viewership figure for Mexico's round of 16 match was almost equivalent to half the nation's population. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

The World Cup match between the Mexican and English national teams on Sunday drew a record television audience of 60 million viewers, making it the most-watched match of the Mexican century, Gabriela Cuevas, head of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Coordination in Mexico, reported on Tuesday.

With a number of viewers equivalent to nearly half of Mexico’s 130 million population, Sunday’s game marked the fourth occasion that Mexico broke its own audience record during the tournament.

fan ar fan fest
The many fan fests across the nation gave fans the convenience (and savings) of watching the Mexico-England game on television while sharing the experience with large crowds of fellow El Tri supporters — although at least one attendee at the fan fest in Mexico City’s Zócalo seems to have preferred a higher being. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

The Mexico-England round of 16 match drew just over 80,000 spectators to the Mexico City Stadium. The one-hour delay of the game’s starting time couldn’t quash the fans’ energy as they belted out songs by Los Ángeles Azules and Juan Gabriel and booed English classics by Oasis, Blur and Queen.

England ultimately won 3-2, eliminating Mexico. Nevertheless, multiple videos emerged on social media showing Mexico fans congratulating English fans and celebrating with them.  

Between June 11 and July 5, 789,766 people attended 13 World Cup matches in the three host cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Mexico City Stadium topped the list with 404,120 attendees across the matches, while Monterrey Stadium attracted 204,716 fans and Guadalajara Stadium hosted 180,930 spectators.

The World Cup generated over 50 billion pesos in revenue for the three host cities, according to Cuevas, while hotel occupancy rose to 80% across Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, and reached 95% in the beach destination of Cancún. In addition, Mexico City International Airport (AICM) brought in 6.5 billion pesos (US $370.3 million) during the event.

Cuevas emphasized the involvement of 99,000 security personnel and 583 hospitals designated as part of the so-called “World Cup Hospital Network” in the hosting efforts. 

Images of Mexican fans celebrating the sport’s event in the streets and public squares circulated across media outlets worldwide. 

“What we experienced here will remain in the memory of millions,” Cuevas said.

With reports from La Jornada and Infobae

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