Mexico City set a world record for the largest soccer class ever on Sunday, organizers said, bringing 9,500 participants into the capital’s Zócalo square as Mexico prepared for the World Cup’s opening match in June.

Organizers described the event’s setting as an open-air training ground, with participants kicking balls and following coordinated drills led by instructors. Guinness World Records’ Alfredo Arista Rueda confirmed the record during the event, turning the moment into a celebratory scene as the crowd cheered and tossed confetti into the air.

“You are officially amazing. Officially Amazing! Congratulations!,” Arista Rueda said as the record was recognized.

Organizers said the turnout surpassed a previous Guinness record set in Seattle in June 2025, when a soccer class drew 1,038 participants. Several fans at the event said the record-breaking class would build momentum for the World Cup.

Soccer coach Mario Alberto Álvarez Acosta said Mexico’s World Cup in the country carried special meaning, pointing to Azteca Stadium’s history and describing this World Cup as “magical.”

Sandra López Figueroa, a housewife who attended, said the experience was enjoyable and that she tried soccer activities she had not expected to do. Mexico has hosted the World Cup before, including in 1970 and 1986, when the Brazilian and Argentine teams won the tournament.