Mexico City orders remote work, school closures on World Cup opening day

Federal civil servants working in Mexico City will shift to flexible or remote work arrangements on the opening day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America.

The Mexican government issued an executive order Tuesday requiring civil servants to adopt flexible working arrangements for one day on Thursday, local time, according to the Mexican daily El Universal.

Under the order, federal civil servants in Mexico City handling non-essential administrative duties will work from home, remotely or on flexible schedules that day.

In addition, the government urged private companies and organizations in Mexico City to adopt remote or flexible work arrangements for the day.

However, the measure excludes workers in essential sectors — including health care, public safety, disaster response and power supply — as well as logistics personnel supporting World Cup operations.

The government said the measures are intended to ease traffic flow in the city center, improve road safety and maintain the efficiency of public services during a major event.

Mexico City is a megacity of some 22 million people in its greater metropolitan area, notorious for some of the world's worst commuter congestion.

Opening ceremonies are scheduled to begin around 11 a.m. Thursday at Estadio Azteca, followed by the season opener between Mexico and South Africa.

The tournament runs through July 19 across three co-host nations — the United States, Canada and Mexico. For the first time in World Cup history, the field has expanded to 48 teams, with 104 matches to be played in total. South Korea is drawn in Group A alongside Mexico, among others.

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