The city of Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s three venues for the 2026 soccer World Cuptook up the flag of sustainability and aims to organize an event that promotes respect for the environment, at the request of FIFA, an organization that seeks to replicate the success of the Qatar World Cup in this sense, since it was the most sustainable in history, and prevent a repeat of the hostility of 2022 towards certain sectors of the public such as the LGBT+ community.
The 2026 World Cup will open on June 11 at the Azteca Stadium and shortly after, that same day, another match will be played at the Akron Stadium of the Chivas of Guadalajara, in western Mexico.
“The sustainability strategy will take up 40 percent of the budget. FIFA has asked us to focus on these areas to repeat what was experienced in Qatarboth for the stadium and in the city,” the global sustainability manager of the Guadalajara organizing committee, Ainara Zatarain, explained to EFE, two years after the event.
To reduce pollution, in Guadalajara work is being done to improve and promote the use of public transport and the use of shared vehicles as the main means of transportation to get to Akron Stadium, where Chivas plays at home in the local tournament and which will be called Guadalajara in the World Cup.
The stage is missing “minimum details”, so there are no plans to close it as will be done with the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City and improvements have already begun to be made such as change your lighting to LED, what allows save “10 minutes” of energy because it turns on immediatelynot like the previous lights that had to be heated to work.
Also searched that the stadium generates 50 percent less garbage and they will be done changes to the grass so that it consumes less water and use environmentally friendly chemicals.
“We want to have LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by mid-2025, a requirement from FIFA to make Akron the most sustainable stadium possible,” added Zatarain.
According to the executive, the team she works with will not only focus on reducing the carbon footprint that may cause the fourth matches that Guadalajara will host, but to generate an inclusive environment, so as not to repeat the hostile environment they experienced people from the LGBT+ community.
“The Human Rights strategy will be defined by FIFA, while nWe have approached Non-Governmental Organizations such as the Global Compactthe University of Guadalajara, the Unicef so that we Share your experiences and let us know guide”said the manager.
The executive stated that the issues they will focus on will be children’s rights and health and preventing the homophobic cry from being heard in the stadium, which emerged in that city in the first part of the 2000s and that It has brought several sanctions to Mexico from FIFA.
“We are not going to reach with a magic wand to change an entire population or the world, but We want to leave a legacy that serves the city, create awareness that we have to do something for the environment and promote respect among everyone.”Zatarain concluded.
In the remainder of 2024, the Guadalajara committee will finish the planning for the event, in 2025 the construction of the necessary infrastructure will begin and in the first months of 2026 it hopes to begin inaugurating the works, to host its third World Cup fair. .
*With information from EFE.
Keep reading:
· Jaime Lozano believes in the processes and assured that he will not resign from El Tri
· Goal by the youthful Endrick gives Brazil a 3-2 victory over Mexico, which had risen from the canvas
· Mexico off the podium: Despite victory on penalties, the Tri U-23 team was left without a medal in the Maurice Revello Tournament