Across Mexico, a co-host nation for the 2026 World Cup, soccer fields emerge wherever local groups can secure room. Along town borders, under highway overpasses, and inside an old volcano crater, cleared areas enable people of all ages to join the pursuit of the beautiful game.

In a low-income district of Monterrey in northern Mexico, 14-year-old Humberto Guadalupe, called "Messi" by relatives and friends, spends weekends on the area's single pitch, set among abandoned vehicles and dirt tracks.

Mirroring the famous Argentine forward behind his nickname, Humberto hopes to reach professional ranks one day, backed by his grandmother. "It will happen one way or another," he notes. "We keep our heads high even after a loss."

Southward, in a countryside zone on the edge of Mexico City, families reach matches at the "Field of the Gods," a pitch inside the crater of the extinct Teoca volcano, arriving by car, motorcycle, bicycle or on foot.

Mist drifts among pine trees and orchards that surround the field in the former crater, roughly 700 meters (2,300 ft) above the sprawling capital. Created by residents more than 60 years ago, it hosts local amateur sides each Sunday.

In nearby Xochimilco, players travel in traditional trajinera wooden boats along canals and over chinampas, the historic floating gardens that once supported the Aztec capital.

They head toward some of Mexico City's remaining natural grass pitches. Located in a Unesco world heritage area, the fields act as vital social spots, yet their presence can affect the local ecology and the habitat of the endangered axolotl salamander, researchers note.

Though divided by setting and distance, the matches follow a shared pattern: communities shaping football spaces within environments defined by difficulty, landscape and history.

Teoca Volcano

Photographer Raquel Cunha spent three months documenting amateur football matches around Mexico City and farther afield, shooting mostly on Sundays when players gather in numbers. She chose subjects after studying the city via map apps and selecting a shortlist of 15 locations for drone images.

From these she picked two sites in Mexico City and one in the industrial north for ground photography as well, using contrasting scenes: tough Monterrey, a green mountainous suburb, and a historic canal neighborhood.

Tlatelolco

At this painted soccer pitch inside the Tlatelolco housing complex, the Sharkes community team plays matches to support sport among the LGBTQA+ community in Mexico City.

Teotihuacan Pyramids

Hot air balloons float above a football field near the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan on the edge of Mexico City.

Alberto 'Chivo' Cordova University Stadium

The structure itself serves as the artwork.

This stadium acts as a giant canvas through the "Aratmosfera" mural by renowned Mexican artist Leopoldo Flores Valdes, painted directly onto its arches and nearby rock to merge art with architecture. From above it appears as a vast continuous mural integrated into the landscape.

Avioneta Park

In one of the densest zones on the outskirts of Mexico City, at Avioneta Park in Ecatepec, a small aircraft rests beside a neighborhood soccer pitch.

Luis Donaldo Colosio

With the near-perfect circle of the Xico volcano crater, known locally as the "navel of the world," as backdrop, this soccer pitch lies on the edge of Mexico City.

The scene sets the clean lines of a sports field against the raw shape of a volcanic crater.

Synthetic Soccer

These compact mini-pitches grow more common in crowded Mexican cities, bringing organized football into residential zones.

In Monterrey, where space remains limited, football often settles in residential complexes such as this one.

University Olympic Stadium

Recognized as a Unesco world heritage site, the campus around this stadium stands as a landmark of 20th-century architecture and planning.

Once the main site for the 1968 Olympic Games, it continues as one of Mexico City's most storied sporting venues.

Neza 86 Stadium

Constructed for the 1986 World Cup, Neza 86 Stadium rises from the busy outskirts of Mexico City, a fading ground where global football once met the city's fast-growing edge.

Los Pinos, Monterrey

The Los Pinos football pitch sits in the Cerro de la Campana area of Monterrey.

Parque La Mexicana Complex

This rooftop pitch on a Costco building in the Santa Fe business district of Mexico City forms part of a layered urban setting that blends recreation and sustainability.

Next to it, a green roof with 21 native plant and grass types adds a dense stretch of vegetation amid the concrete surroundings.