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This video is about why the World Cup keeps coming back to Mexico — and why Estadio Azteca sits at the center of that story. No country has hosted the men’s World Cup like Mexico has, and no stadium carries a résumé like the Azteca: two finals, Pelé, Maradona, the “Game of the Century,” and now a historic third tournament in 2026. But the same stadium that made Mexico one of football’s great hosts also transformed the neighborhood around it, turning Santa Úrsula into the backdrop for decades of traffic, construction, policing, and disruption. At its core, this is a story about the cost of becoming the world’s greatest World Cup stage — and the glory that cost made possible.

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Search Party is an independent, video news show that combines experienced journalism and visual design to decode the most complex stories in international sports and geopolitics.

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Original music for this video was composed by Tom Fox.

About:
Search Party is led and produced by Sam Ellis, a journalist, director, editor, and animator based in New York City. For more than 6 years, Ellis produced the hugely popular video series, Vox Atlas, for which he earned an Emmy nomination. He specializes in breaking down the most complex new stories and presenting them with a refreshing, accessible, and engaging visual style.

He’s produced explainers on some of the world’s thorniest geopolitical stories; from corruption scandals in Latin America, conflict in the Middle East, and the rise of China, to the world of sports; the Monaco Grand Prix, the FIFA corruption scandal, and the 100-foot waves of Nazaré, Portugal. Ellis has also directed multiple episodes of TV; notably on Netflix’s ‘Explained’ and HBO Sport’s ‘Level Playing Field’.

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