An international federation of labor unions said on Tuesday that FIFA denied it access to the Azteca Stadium to inspect conditions of construction workers doing renovations ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Ambet Yuson, the general secretary of the Building and Wood Workers' International, said FIFA told them that they did not need inspections because the local workers already have a union and that there have been no incidents so far.

"The World Cup is global, and we must play by global rules and the global labor standards," Yuson said at a press conference. "The role of an international organization as BWI is to come and to be an independent inspector to see if what they are saying is true or not."

The Azteca has been temporarily closed for renovations since May 2024 and stadium owner Emilio Azcarraga Jean said recently that they have a plan to reopen sometime this year.

Azcarraga Jean hasn't fully disclosed what modifications will be made to the Azteca for the World Cup that Mexico hosts alongside Canada and the United States.

The stadium, which opened in 1966, will host five games at the tournament and will become the first to host three World Cup opening matches. It also hosted the first games of the 1970 and the 1986 World Cups.

"Building on past cooperation with FIFA, an agreement for joint inspections in Mexico, US and Canada was negotiated, but FIFA pulled out before signing, blocking independent oversight at dangerous construction sites," the BWI in a statement.