the more it changes; this is a World Cup a few years removed from the edition held in Mexico 40 years ago but Javier Aguirre and Hugo Broos are ready to pull it off in the home opener.
Back in the 1986 tournament, which featured 24 teams and was hosted only in Mexico, midfielder Aguirre’s home side beat Broos’ Belgium 2-1 in front of 110,000 fans inside the Azteca Stadium.
Now leading South Africa and plotting revenge on Friday at 3am Hong Kong time against Aguirre’s Mexico side, Broos said the extended 2026 finals “will be more grueling” than previous editions.
“Having 48 teams in three different countries is unique, but for me it’s a little big,” said Broos, citing his team’s potential to travel to Atlanta or Los Angeles for the playoffs.
“It’s a lot of travel; 40 years ago it was in one country, but we have to change.”
That a certain number of healthy journalists could gather to hear Broos speak in a grand palace in the shadow of the Aztecs was a wonder in itself.
