Vikings vs San Francisco in Mexico City 2026

MEXICO · NFL GUIDE

The first Sunday Night Football game outside the United States comes to Mexico City in six weeks. Here is what US fans need to know before they watch or travel.

The Minnesota Vikings play the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City on Sunday, 22 November 2026. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. local time and 8:20 p.m. US Eastern, according to the NFL.

The NFL Mexico City game airs on NBC and streams on Peacock as the Week 11 Sunday Night Football broadcast. Tickets were sold only through Ticketmaster México, and demand far outstripped the seats available.

Why This Game Matters to US Fans

The National Football League (NFL), the top US professional football league, last played a regular-season game in Mexico in 2022. This is the sixth regular-season NFL game in the country since 2005, the league’s operations office says.

It is also the first Sunday Night Football game ever staged outside the United States, NBCUniversal said in May. Sunday Night Football is NBC’s weekly prime-time NFL broadcast, shown nationally across the United States.

The San Francisco 49ers are the designated home team, the club said when the game was announced on 13 May. The 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals 38-10 at the same stadium, then called Estadio Azteca, in 2022.

The 49ers also played in the first regular-season NFL game outside the United States, against Arizona in 2005. That game in Mexico City drew 103,467 spectators, Mexico News Daily reported.

The game is part of a three-year NFL commitment to regular-season games in Mexico, according to the 49ers. Mexico News Daily reported that single games are also contracted for 2027 and 2028.

Arturo Olivé, director general of NFL Mexico, said the league was delighted to bring regular-season games back to Mexico City. The 49ers describe Mexico as home to the NFL’s largest fan base outside the United States.

Schedule and Kickoff Times

The game is set for Sunday, 22 November 2026, in Week 11 of the NFL regular season. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. in Mexico City, which is 8:20 p.m. Eastern and 5:20 p.m. Pacific.

The NFL operations office lists 8:20 p.m. Eastern, and the Vikings list 7:20 p.m. Central on their schedule. The 49ers schedule shows 5:20 p.m. Pacific, so all three official sources match.

Daylight saving time ends in the United States on Sunday, 1 November, three weeks before the game. On game night, Mexico City is therefore one hour behind New York and two hours ahead of California.

The NFL announced on 31 August that The Warning, a Monterrey rock band of three sisters, will play at halftime. TUDN, the sports network of broadcaster TelevisaUnivision, reported the announcement and the kickoff time.

Singer Majo Aguilar will perform the Mexican national anthem, Por Esto and Mexico News Daily reported. No official fan festival programme was found in the sources checked on 11 October.

How to Watch in the US

NBC carries the game nationally as Sunday Night Football, and both team schedules list NBC as the network. NBCUniversal said in May that Peacock will once again stream all NBC NFL games.

Telemundo Deportes provides Spanish-language coverage of the full Sunday Night Football package on Telemundo, Universo and Peacock, NBCUniversal said. The NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com also stream NBC games for viewers who log in through a TV provider.

In Mexico, the game airs on Canal 5, TUDN reported. Radio listeners can follow KFAN for the Vikings and KSAN or KNBR for the 49ers, according to the team schedules.

Tickets and Prices

Ticketmaster México was the only official seller, La Crónica de Hoy reported, citing the ticket company. An American Express presale opened on Monday, 14 September, followed by a Banorte customer presale on Thursday, 17 September.

General sale opened on Tuesday, 22 September, at 10 a.m. Mexico City time. About 834,000 people joined Ticketmaster’s virtual queue, the company said, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.

Ticketmaster put potential demand at about 2.2 million tickets, far above the stadium’s capacity, EFE reported. The Colombian broadcaster NTN24 reported that all available seats sold out within hours of the general sale.

No sold-out notice from Ticketmaster itself was found, and remaining availability could not be confirmed on 11 October. Fans without tickets should check the Ticketmaster México event page for any seats released later.

Face values ran from 2,108 pesos (about US$115) to 11,656 pesos (about US$637), UnoTV and N+ reported in September. Hospitality packages such as the Tunnel Club cost up to 19,400 pesos (about US$1,060), UnoTV reported.

Ticketmaster said seat-map prices already included service charges, with a 50-peso (about US$3) processing fee per order, La Crónica reported. Excélsior reported resale listings of about 10,000 to 30,000 pesos (about US$550 to US$1,640) in mid-September.

Ticketmaster urged buyers to avoid resale pages, social media and street sellers, La Crónica reported. NFL Mexico and the authorities also warned fans about ticket fraud, Excélsior reported.

For US fans, the legal alternative is On Location, which the 49ers call the NFL’s official hospitality provider. Its ticket-and-travel packages can include premium seats, fan parties, flights and hotels, the club said.

Getting to Estadio Banorte

Estadio Banorte is the new commercial name of Estadio Azteca, in the south of Mexico City. The cheapest route is Metro Line 2 to Tasqueña, then the Tren Ligero light rail toward Xochimilco.

Riders get off at Estadio Azteca station, which opens onto the stadium’s main plaza, TV Azteca reported in March. The Metro costs 5 pesos (about US$0.27) and the light rail 3 pesos (about US$0.16).

Paper tickets are not accepted on the light rail, so riders need a rechargeable Integrated Mobility Card with credit. Buy and top up the card at a Metro station before game day to avoid queues.

For a Mexico national team match in March, the city ran free park-and-ride buses and closed parts of Calzada de Tlalpan. No transport plan for the NFL game had been published in the sources checked on 11 October.

TV Azteca estimated an app taxi at 250 to 450 pesos (about US$14 to US$25) or more on that match day. Road closures around Avenida Santa Úrsula and Tlalpan meant drop-offs farther from the gates, it added.

There was no parking inside the stadium for that match, according to TV Azteca. A Sunday night kickoff also means a late return, so plan the trip back before the game starts.

Safety, Entry and Costs

The US State Department rates Mexico City at Level 2, “exercise increased caution,” because of terrorism and crime. Its advisory, issued on 29 May 2026, says petty crime is frequent in tourist and non-tourist areas.

It urges extra caution at night outside popular tourist areas, where police patrol more often. It also advises against hailing taxis on the street and points to regulated taxi stands or apps such as Uber and Cabify.

US citizens need a passport book to fly to Mexico, because a passport card cannot be used to board a plane. No visa is needed for visits of up to 180 days, according to the State Department.

Mexican tickets are priced in pesos, so a US card may add a foreign transaction fee. Conversions in this guide use about 18.3 pesos per US dollar, the open.er-api.com rate on 11 October.

About 14% of buyers will come from abroad and 45% will travel to Mexico City from elsewhere, EFE reported. That points to heavy demand for flights and hotels on game weekend, so book early.

What It Means for You

For US fans, the NFL Mexico City game is a prime-time NFL game a short flight from Texas or California. Without a ticket bought from Ticketmaster México or On Location, the risk of fraud is high.

Fans watching at home need only NBC or Peacock at 8:20 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, 22 November. Spanish-language viewers can follow the game on Telemundo, Universo or Peacock.

Travellers should check the State Department advisory again shortly before departure, because ratings can change. They should also confirm game-day transport and entry rules, which had not been published by 11 October.

What Is Not Known

No Ticketmaster sold-out notice could be found, and remaining or resale availability through official channels is unclear. Official game-day transport, road closures and any fan festival programme have not been announced in the sources checked.

The Vikings schedule notes that some games are subject to flexible scheduling, though no change has been announced for this one. The prices quoted here come from Mexican media reports, not from a direct check of the Ticketmaster page.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the NFL Mexico City game in 2026?

The Vikings play the 49ers on Sunday, 22 November 2026, at Estadio Banorte. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. local time, which is 8:20 p.m. Eastern.

How can I watch Vikings vs 49ers in the US?

NBC broadcasts the game as Sunday Night Football, and Peacock streams it. Telemundo Deportes carries Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo, Universo and Peacock.

Are tickets for the Mexico City game still available?

Ticketmaster México was the only official seller, and demand far exceeded the seats available. NTN24 reported a sell-out within hours, but no Ticketmaster sold-out notice was found.

Do US citizens need a visa to attend?

No visa is needed for stays of up to 180 days, according to the State Department. You need a valid passport book to fly to Mexico.

Sources: NFL Football Operations, 2026 international games schedule; San Francisco 49ers, 13 May 2026; 49ers schedule; Minnesota Vikings schedule; NBCUniversal, 18 May 2026; TUDN; La Crónica de Hoy; UnoTV; N+; Excélsior; Por Esto (EFE); NTN24; Mexico News Daily; TV Azteca; US State Department, Mexico travel advisory; US State Department, Mexico country information; open.er-api.com exchange rates (all accessed 11 October 2026).