MÉXICO CITY (AP) — When FIFA boss Gianni Infantino visited Mexico City more than three years ago, the Azteca Stadium owner told him the renovations for the 2026 World Cup were not going to mess with the iconic venue’s soul.

Emilio Azcárraga Jean is keeping his word.

Latin America’s largest stadium is adding more seats, more video screens, new lighting and locker rooms, a new entrance to the new hybrid pitch, and a new sound system with over 340 speakers.

Regular spectators will notice the upgrades but at the same time the 59-year-old venue has preserved its major characteristics, according to official computer renderings obtained by the Associated Press.

“It was very important to maintain its soul,” stadium director Felix Aguirre told the AP. “The soul is the essence of the stadium and

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