Mexico City sets world record for largest soccer class

Mexico City set a Guinness World Record Sunday for having held the largest soccer class, with about 9,500 people having taken part in a training session in a public sqaure in the city.

Participants filled the central plaza, known as Zocalo, for a 40-minute open-air class, practicing drills under instructors as part of a campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup in June.

Among those participating were members of the Mexico team that won the unofficial 1971 Women’s World Cup.

Guinness World Records judge Alfredo Arista confirmed the record during the event. Organizers said the turnout surpassed the previous record of 1,038 participants set in Seattle in June 2025.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada congratulated participants saying, “Today we kick off the World Cup.”

What to know about situation in Mexico City more generally

The World Cup will begin on June 11 at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca.

Mexico will co-host the tournament along with the US and Canada.

This will be the third World Cup tournament in Mexico, after the country previously hosted the finals of the 1970 and 1986 tournaments.

But safety questions linger after authorities killed the nation’s most wanted drug-leader last month. That triggered a wave of violence in several parts of the country, including Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s three World Cup host cities.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to assauge those concerns, telling the public that authorities will ensure security during the sporting event.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar