Mara Lezama Inaugurates 46 Sports Courts Across Quintana Roo as 2026 World Cup Legacy

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa led the simultaneous inauguration of 46 sports courts and multi-courts across all 11 municipalities of Quintana Roo on Thursday, as part of the federal Social World Cup program promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo as a legacy of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Joined by Gabriela Cuevas, Mexico’s representative for the World Cup; Ana Gabriela Villanueva, director general of Community Works at SEDATU; and Rommel Pacheco, head of CONADE, Lezama said the Social World Cup aims to build community, foster peace, promote healthy living, and provide sports facilities, especially in areas where playing sports is difficult.

During the ceremony, held at the Las Ranitas soccer field in supermanzana 228, officials announced that the project involved the construction of 23 soccer fields and 20 multi-courts, with a total investment of more than 68 million pesos (approximately $3.4 million). The initiative is expected to benefit 240,000 residents of Quintana Roo.

The courts are distributed as follows: 3 in Bacalar, 8 in Benito Juárez, 3 in Cozumel, 7 in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, 2 in Isla Mujeres, 1 in José María Morelos, 2 in Lázaro Cárdenas, 5 in Othón P. Blanco, 9 in Playa del Carmen, 4 in Puerto Morelos, and 2 in Tulum.

Before the ribbon-cutting, Ana Gabriela Villanueva, Gabriela Cuevas, and Rommel Pacheco explained the program’s goal of leaving a lasting sports legacy from the World Cup.

Also present at the event were Verónica Lezama Espinosa, honorary president of the DIF Quintana Roo system; Ana Paty Peralta, municipal president of Benito Juárez; Eric Arcila Arjona, head of the Governor’s Office; Jacobo Arzate Hop, president of the Quintana Roo Sports Commission (CODEQ); and Freddy Ramos Pulido, SEDATU representative in Quintana Roo.