Soccer-Mexico breaks Guinness World Record for largest soccer class ahead of World Cup

MEXICO CITY, March 15 (Reuters) - Mexico broke the Guinness World Record for the world's largest soccer class on Sunday, with about 9,500 people attending the 40-minute class in Mexico City's Zocalo Plaza.

The record comes months before Mexico is set to host the 2026 World Cup alongside the United States and Canada starting June 11. The class in Mexico City beat the previous record, set in Seattle in 2025, by 1,038 people.

"We registered 9,500 people today, so I have the fortune of telling you that as of now, you are 'officially amazing', congratulations," Guinness World Records judge Alfredo Arista said at the end of the class.

"Today we broke this great Guinness World Record, more than 9,000 people gathered and showed that we are capable of achieving the extraordinary and the impossible," said Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada after receiving the award.

"With this record, the city sends a message to the world: 'Sport, soccer, is the universal language, a language of peace that needs no translation.' Congratulations Mexico City, today we kick off the World Cup," she added.

During the class, men and women of all ages followed the instructions of the teachers and some former Mexican soccer players who taught the class from a stage.