The 1970 world cup held in Mexico saw outstanding athletic performances with this being the first world cup in which yellow and red cards were used and there wasn’t a single red card in the tournament. Mexico had experienced growth since the 1940s by showing relative political stability and large economic growth. The FIFA archives show that the Mexican football federation (FEMEXFUT) had shown interest in organizing the 1970 World Cup as early as 1958 before the bid for the 1968 Olympic Games was placed, the government was not directly engaged in football but still supported the World Cup bid.
FIFA’s recognition of FEMEXFUT allowed teams representing Mexico to participate in international tournaments from 1929 onwards. Mexico sent a team to the 1928, 1948, 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games as well as other tournaments as for World Cup appearances, Mexico was represented by a team in every tournament except 1934 and 1938. Throughout the twentieth century, the Mexican Government used cultural diplomacy to communicate a favourable image abroad. As journalist Armando Ferrer wrote in 1964: ‘Mexico City is particularly interesting because it provides modernity and many comforts, as well as a rich history with colonial and pre-colonial elements’ This comment enforced the governmental campaigns that represented Mexico as modern and traditional.
Government officials such as Ernesto P. Uruchurtu, Marte R. Gómez and José de Jesús Clark Flores bid for the 1956, 1960 and 1968 Olympic Games with the goal of using sport to show the world of modern Mexico. The first attempts to host the Olympics in 1956 and 1960 were unsuccessful, yet Mexico’s bid for the World Cup was successful on its first attempt; this may have been due to Latin American countries having already bid for and organized the World Cup previously. Mexico was elected as the host of the 1970 World Cup on 8 October 1964, with 56 votes, while Argentina received 32, and there were 7 abstentions.
The main organizers for the 1970 World Cup were mostly Mexico City’s elite financial citizens, as the federal government participated through Foreign Affairs, providing visas and regulating international travel. Mexico organized the World Cup once again in 1986, after Colombia withdrew from organizing the event and FIFA held a last-minute selection. In 2026 Mexico will again host the world cup alongside Canada and the United states showing their development and putting their mark on the sport.
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