Mexico City broke the Guinness World Record for the largest human wave outside a stadium, an event that drew tens of thousands of people and turned into a street party just five days before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
To officially mark this milestone, authorities in the Mexican capital summoned participants three hours before the start of the so-called “World Wave,” which began around 10:30 a.m. local time and took place on the iconic Paseo de la Reforma.
“We achieved the world’s largest wave,” declared Alejandra Frausto, the city’s Secretary of Tourism.
Guinness World Records judges were present at the event to verify the number of attendees, and they will later confirm the exact number of participants.
The previous record was held by the Portuguese city of Lisbon, which in 2007 gathered more than 8,000 people in a public park, but Mexico City far surpassed it that day.
The atmosphere was festive, dominated by the green of the Mexican national team’s kit. Mexico will debut on June 11th in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup against South Africa.
“There’s a contrast of feelings here because there are other important social issues happening in Mexico, but well, this is also a celebration. It happens every four years, and I think it’s perfectly reasonable for people to come and enjoy themselves, to take advantage of these global events,” Iván Orozco explained to EFE.
This 44-year-old man, wearing a Mexican national team jersey, emphasized that people in Mexico go out to “celebrate these kinds of events, they dress up, they put on makeup (…) and they take full advantage and enjoy it to the fullest.”
“All eyes will be on Mexico, the United States, and Canada. We Latinos, in particular, will have our eyes on Latin America. And besides, they’ll also take advantage of this event to do very Mexican things,” he added.
Many of the participants were adorned with flags or traditional hats, as was the case with Lupita Mercado, who said she got goosebumps at the opportunity to experience another World Cup in her country.
“Let’s hope things go well for us so we can celebrate here at the Angel of Independence, where everyone commemorates and celebrates,” she said.
For his part, Gustavo Godínez added that the atmosphere of the wave was “amazing” with flags of “all colors.”
“I’d like to try and break this record. I want to be a part of it and contribute to this passion for football… It’s going to be another World Cup in one of the most iconic stadiums, the Azteca, and it’s going to be huge. Everyone is excited,” he concluded.
The previous record for the world’s largest wave was 157,000 people, but that was recorded inside a stadium, while the Mexican wave took place in the streets.
This year’s World Cup, held in Mexico, Canada, and the United States, will feature 48 national teams from five continents, making it the tournament with the most participating national teams in its history.
In the case of the United States, which will host the opening match and twelve other games, the venues are Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
Source: msn
