When Pele was in Mexico City before leading Brazil to the 1970 FIFA World Cup title

In an unassuming room hidden in a historic conference complex in Mexico City, visitors can step into football history: the preserved quarters where Pele slept before leading Brazil to its third World Cup title in 1970.

As Mexico prepares to kick off the tournament for the third time against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, the exhibition at the Inter-American Conference on Social Security Headquarters (CISS) provides a nostalgic link to one of the World Cup’s most celebrated moments.

The venue has taken on new meaning as the tournament returns to Mexico, reconnecting the country with Brazil’s iconic 4-1 victory over Italy in the 1970 final that cemented Pele’s legendary status.

“Brazil spent most of the tournament in Guadalajara and only came to Mexico City for the final against Italy,” said Pedro Kumamoto, secretary general of the CISS. Reuters.

«The question was where to put the Brazilian team. Everyone wanted a photo, a greeting, an autograph, a handshake from Pele. The king himself slept here.»

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Built in 1963 for diplomatic meetings, the complex was chosen as a safe haven from the crowds attracted by Pele’s global fame. The exhibition now includes antique furniture, 1970 World Cup memorabilia and a working television showing footage of Brazil’s triumph.

Local memories of the football icon’s stay remain vivid more than fifty years later.

“I recently met a neighbor who was six or seven years old when Pele came here and is now almost 70,” Kumamoto said. «He remembered him as very approachable and very warm. He said Pele signed autographs until he simply couldn’t anymore and spent long periods of time with fans outside.»

The balcony where Pele greeted the supporters still looks out over the grounds unchanged.

“There is also a nice story about the balcony where Pele came out to greet the supporters,” Kumamoto said. “It’s still the same balcony, the same place, with the echo of history in the walls.”

More than half a century after Brazil’s triumph, the transformed museum preserves a chapter in the history of the World Cup as football’s biggest event returns once again to Mexico.

Published on June 5, 2026