Mexico City is not waiting for the World Cup to kick off — it has already turned the beautiful game into a cultural spectacle with Pele's crown and a Maradona jersey among 15,000 pieces of football memorabilia on display.
At the Museo Yancuic in Iztapalapa, shirts from 90 national teams are among the items being showcased in the "Album Epico" exhibition.
The collection, free to the public, runs from late March through August 2026, welcoming city residents and international visitors alike throughout the World Cup season.
The majority of items on display form part of the collection of Gabriel Bustamante, who has spent over 40 years gathering pieces related to professional football.
Among the highlights are Pele's crown, notable shirts belonging to Maradona, David Beckham, Jorge Campos, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as a large collection of Mexican national team jerseys.
"We have many iconic artefacts from the history of football, but I think one of the items that everyone wants to have their photo taken with, and which is not to be missed, is Pele's kit and the crown he was presented with in 1970 here in Mexico," exhibition curator Ricardo Rivera said.
Each room features interactive areas including videos of old broadcasts, digital displays and zones where visitors can hear the atmosphere of the fans or make their voice echo as if in a stadium.
On the top floor, there is a section where visitors can experience the 2026 World Cup through play — table football, pitches for a quick game, goals to test their skills and even a trophy replica to take selfies with.
For visitor Jaqueline Saenz, the experience resonated deeply. "I think the children are really happy to be able to take this tour. I think it's very important to have this historical overview of Mexico's involvement (in the World Cup), so, I think it's a really good experience to come here to the museum," she said.
Her son, Fernando Zertuche, agreed. "In my opinion, it's very important that they put on these exhibitions, because I'm proud of our achievements as a country in football," he said.
Across town in Polanco, the Museo Jumex is offering a more cerebral take on the game presenting "Football & Art: A Shared Emotion," an exhibition tracing the various intersections between contemporary art and soccer as cultural, aesthetic, and social expressions.
The show runs through July 26 — the week after the World Cup final in New Jersey.
Curated by Guillermo Santamarina, the exhibition brings together nearly 100 works by more than 60 artists from 13 countries, including Mexico, the United States, France, Japan and South Africa. The show features paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and videos.
The exhibition's design, created by architect Mauricio Rocha, transforms the space into a reinterpretation of the football universe.
In the museum's outdoor plaza, the Tercerunquinto collective presents "Tribunas" — an installation built with seats recovered from the Azteca Stadium, adorned with plaques bearing the names of Mexican footballers. The piece functions as an emotional archive connecting memory, identity and sport.
The two exhibitions are among more than 20 cultural spaces preparing special World Cup programming across Mexico City, which expects more than five million tourists.
Museums from Xochimilco to Iztapalapa have organised events running from Easter through August. The ball, it seems, has already started rolling.
