A person has died hours before the opening game of the World Cup 2026 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico. The 80-year-old man is believed to have suffered a suspected heart attack while at Gate one of the Mexico City Stadium.

Emergency services raced to the scene with concern sparked among fans and stadium staff. Paramedics assigned to the World Cup security detail arrived within minutes to provide first aid, and emergency medical technicians stabilised the German national by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The man was resuscitated in the ambulance and was in a stable condition in the hospital under observation, the Secretariat of Citizen Security and Civil Protection said.

However, the 80-year-old later died.

Earlier today The Pentagon was suddenly been locked down and evacuated due to an incident. Hazmat crews were dispatched to the building after a hazardous materials incident occurred hours ahead of the World Cup kickoff.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told The Express that an air quality issue inside the headquarters of the United States Department of Defence has been detected. He added that a "shelter-in-place order has been issued for the affected areas of the building".

The 2026 World Cup kicks off at 8pm tonight with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa. The United States, Mexico and Canada are set to welcome 48 teams for a festival of football across the next six weeks of action.

The build up to the tournament has been extremely controversial with Iran releasing a new statement threating to halt their matches under certain conditions.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has urged critics to "chill and relax" in response to the backlash his organisation have faced. He spoke on several topics at a press conference on Wednesday which saw him claim that he would have driven the Iranian national team bus from Tehran to the United States in order to get them to the World Cup.