In Mexico, a co-host of the upcoming 2026 World Cup, football fields are being established in various community spaces, regardless of their location. These pitches can be found in town outskirts, beneath highway overpasses, and even within the confines of a dormant volcano, facilitating opportunities for individuals of all ages to engage in the beloved sport.
In a struggling neighborhood of Monterrey, northern Mexico, 14-year-old Humberto Guadalupe, affectionately known as “Messi” by those close to him, spends his weekends on the area’s sole football field, which is surrounded by derelict vehicles and unpaved roads.
Humberto plays with 12-year-old Eduardo Reyes, enjoying a game of football followed by snacks provided by local evangelists in Monterrey.
Humberto, alongside his grandparents Guadalupe Mendonza Guerrero and Maria del Carmen Gutierrez Rodriguez, resides in Cerro de la Campana, Monterrey. Inspired by the iconic Argentinian footballer for whom he is nicknamed, Humberto aspires to become a professional athlete one day, a dream actively nurtured by his grandmother. “One way or another, it’s going to happen,” he asserts. “Even when we lose, we keep our spirits high.”
Members of the Pandilleros team can be seen warming up through a shattered car window prior to their semifinal match against the Bandoleros at the Los Pinos football pitch.
Spectators gather to watch a game between the Bandoleros and Pandilleros, while children from nearby communities participate in a match.
Amateur league players compete in a match between San Mateo and Real Madrid at the Cancha de los Dioses, a football field located in the crater of the dormant Teoca volcano.
During a game against Bombay at the Cancha de los Dioses, San Isidro coach Jorge Baltazar communicates with his players. Nearby, Aitana Michelle Hernandez Blas and her mother sit watching as Aitana’s father plays.
In a charming scene, children exchange stickers of Brazilian football star Vinícius Júnior from a World Cup collection, while Bombay player Diego Gutierrez Miranda interacts with his 18-month-old son, Matias Gutierrez Romero, before a match against Rayados.
Further south, in a rural area near Mexico City, families arrive via various means—cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and on foot—to enjoy matches at the “Field of the Gods,” a football pitch nestled within the Teoca volcano’s crater.
The landscape surrounding this pitch features mist weaving through pine trees and orchards, positioned nearly 700 meters (2,300 feet) above Mexico City. Established by the community over sixty years ago, this site serves local amateur teams every Sunday.
In the Xochimilco region, players travel in traditional trajinera boats along canals, crossing chinampas, the ancient floating gardens that sustained the Aztec civilization. They are en route to play on some of the last natural grass pitches in Mexico City, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, although the construction of these fields poses risks to the local ecology and the habitat of the endangered axolotl salamander, according to scientists.
As amateur league matches take place in the protected Xochimilco area, referees convene, while Emmanuel Dela Rosa, aged two, looks up at his father during a game.
Emiliano Macedo, 21, dons a kit reminiscent of legendary Mexican goalkeeper Jorge Campos Navarrete and takes a moment to rest during a match in the Xochimilco area.
Despite the geographical and environmental differences, these football matches resonate with a common theme: communities creating spaces for the sport in areas defined by adversity, geography, and shared memories.
Photographer Raquel Cunha dedicated three months to capturing the essence of amateur football across Mexico City and its surroundings, primarily on Sundays when players are most active. Using mapping applications, she selected her subjects and chose to photograph two locations in Mexico City, alongside one in the industrial northern region, highlighting diverse environments—from the gritty atmosphere of Monterrey to lush suburban landscapes and historic canal neighborhoods.
A vibrant painted pitch within the Tlatelolco housing complex serves as a venue for the Sharkes community-led team, which promotes sports within Mexico City’s LGBTQA+ community.
Hot air balloons gracefully float above a football field located near the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan, just outside Mexico City.
The Alberto ‘Chivo’ Cordova University Stadium in Toluca features a unique design that serves as an artistic canvas. The “Aratmosfera” mural, created by renowned Mexican artist Leopoldo Flores Valdés, is painted on the stadium’s arches and surrounding rock, seamlessly merging art and architecture. Viewed from above, it forms an expansive mural intricately woven into the landscape.
In Ecatepec, one of Mexico City’s most densely populated areas, Avioneta Park hosts a soccer pitch adjacent to a small aircraft.
Another soccer field located at the Sports Unit Luis Donaldo Colosio lies on the outskirts of Mexico City, framed by the nearly perfect circle of the Xico volcano crater, known locally as the “navel of the world.” This setting provides a striking contrast between the tidy lines of the sports field and the raw contours of the volcanic formation.
A synthetic football pitch within a housing complex in Monterrey illustrates the emergence of compact “mini-pitches,” which are increasingly popular in urban areas.
