The Uruguayan Football Association confirmed that its men's national team will stay at the Fairmont Mayakoba during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with training sessions held at the nearby Mayakoba Training Centre — approximately 40 minutes from Cancún International Airport. The decision wasn't made by process of elimination. Playa del Carmen outranked Tampa, Atlanta, Boca Raton and Austin across every technical criterion — selected for its infrastructure, lodging facilities, logistical provisions, physical recovery setup and elite working environment.
For 30 days, some of the best footballers on the planet will live, train and recover within the most exclusive ecosystem in the Riviera Maya. And Rivana holds access to the only private residential property inside that same environment: The Reserve at Mayakoba.
La Celeste — World-class stars, training in your neighborhood
Uruguay arrives at the 2026 World Cup in its best shape in a decade. Under Marcelo Bielsa, the squad completed a dominant qualifying campaign, finishing fourth in CONMEBOL — above Brazil — with key players arriving at the tournament in peak form.
Federico Valverde, Real Madrid captain, is the tactical engine of Uruguay. His physical intensity, box-to-box range and mental strength make him one of the most dangerous players in the tournament. This season he cemented his place among the best footballers on earth, contributing 12 assists and 8 goals — including a historic hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League.
Ronald Araujo (FC Barcelona) brings pace, aerial dominance and defensive leadership. José María Giménez has spent over a decade at Atlético de Madrid's elite level. Darwin Núñez, now at Al-Hilal, finished qualifying as one of CONMEBOL's top scorers with five goals, also leading in pressing and recovery stats against Brazil and Argentina. Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United), Rodrigo Bentancur, Facundo Pellistri, Maximiliano Araújo, Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Nicolás de la Cruz round out a squad built for a deep run.
All of them will train at the Mayakoba Training Centre, which features FIFA-certified pitches, elite gym equipment, premium medical services, and purpose-built physical recovery areas — facilities integrated into the very same ecosystem where The Reserve at Mayakoba sits.
Why Uruguay chose Mayakoba over every other option in North America
The AUF presented Playa del Carmen to FIFA as the only location that met every single criterion for the national team's base camp. The private accommodation modules have a capacity and layout analogous to Uruguay's Complejo Celeste in Montevideo — ensuring absolute privacy and uninterrupted team dynamics throughout the tournament.
The decision places Uruguay in Mexico despite two of its three Group H matches taking place in the United States — opening against Saudi Arabia in Miami on June 15 and Cape Verde on June 21, before flying back to face Spain in Guadalajara on June 26. Choosing to make two international flights rather than relocating their base speaks to the quality of the Mayakoba environment above everything else.
Uruguay's choice of the Fairmont Mayakoba is one of the most fan-friendly setups of the entire tournament. The resort is stunning and the Riviera Maya location makes it easy to combine beach vacation with World Cup fever. For millions of Uruguayan, Argentine, Spanish and European fans who are planning the World Cup as a broader experience beyond match days, Playa del Carmen and Mayakoba will be first-tier aspirational destinations. That flow of high-spending tourism directly drives demand — and nightly rates — for vacation rentals across the area.
The Reserve at Mayakoba — The only way to own inside this ecosystem
The Reserve at Mayakoba is an ultra-luxury residential development inside the iconic Mayakoba complex in the Riviera Maya. 144 residences distributed across 16 low-rise towers surrounded by nature — with 65% of the land designated as natural conservation.
Developed by Sancus Capital Partners and Inmobilia, with architecture by L35 Arquitectos and Sepúlveda Arquitectos — firms based in Barcelona, Madrid and Paris. Owners have access to Banyan Tree Mayakoba's full hotel services: spa, room service and world-class restaurants.
Not as guests. As owners.
Mayakoba is home to Banyan Tree, Rosewood, Fairmont and Andaz. The Reserve is the first opportunity to be a property owner within this ultra-luxury ecosystem, with direct access to the PGA Tour golf course, private cenotes and a beach club — amenities that until now were only available to hotel guests paying nightly rates.
Units range from 2 to 4 bedrooms, between 192 and 660 m², with delivery projected for 2027–2028. Pricing starts from $1.1M USD.
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The Reserve at Mayakoba
The only private residence inside the Mayakoba ecosystem
View property →What the 2026 World Cup means for your investment
The visibility effect generated by a World Cup national team basing themselves in a destination is immediate and lasting. When the world watches Valverde and Darwin Núñez on their screens, and the training footage shows mangroves, freshwater canals and Caribbean beach surrounding the Fairmont Mayakoba, that ecosystem gets imprinted on the memory of millions of high-net-worth travelers.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup reaches a global audience of over two billion people. For owners of The Reserve at Mayakoba, June and July 2026 will represent the strongest rental demand — and the highest nightly rates — in the history of the area. Luxury properties across the Riviera Maya are already seeing 35 to 55% rate increases for those specific dates compared to the year before.
For those still evaluating whether to enter: The Reserve has 144 residences inside a protected natural conservation ecosystem that cannot expand. Supply is fixed by design. The global demand the World Cup is generating for this specific destination is not.
Living where the world's best footballers choose to stay
For 30 days, Valverde, Darwin Núñez, Araujo and the rest of La Celeste will share the Mayakoba ecosystem with The Reserve's residents. That's not just an interesting footnote — it's a reflection of what this development actually represents: the level of privacy, infrastructure and quality of life that an elite national team selects above every other option across an entire continent.
What Uruguay enjoys for one month, The Reserve's owners have year-round: lagoon, mangrove, cenotes and jungle. Low-rise towers designed to integrate into the landscape rather than dominate it. Direct access to the Banyan Tree's spa, room service, restaurants and concierge — as an owner, not a guest. The El Camaleón Golf Club, longtime PGA Tour host. A private beach club facing the Caribbean.
And a community of neighbors that matches the profile of those who stay at the Rosewood or the Fairmont: senior executives, multigenerational wealth buyers, international purchasers who place quality and privacy above any other consideration.
Group H — The match the whole world will watch from Mayakoba
Uruguay faces Spain in Guadalajara on June 26 in what is already the most anticipated group-stage match of the entire tournament. Two-time champions against a Spanish side built by Xabi Alonso — with Valverde and company on one side, the broadcast coverage will be global and relentless. And in every one of those broadcasts, the name Mayakoba will appear as La Celeste's home base.
For fans — Uruguayan, Argentine, Spanish, European — who are making the 2026 World Cup into a full travel experience rather than just attending matches, Playa del Carmen and Mayakoba will rank among the most coveted destinations of the tournament. The combination of world-class football atmosphere and Caribbean luxury is something no other base camp location in the tournament can replicate.
That demand — premium travelers with high budgets, discovering the Mexican Caribbean for the first time — is precisely the audience that makes vacation rental properties in Mayakoba extraordinary assets for that window.
Frequently Asked Questions
"Mayakoba is not just the most exclusive enclave in the Riviera Maya. It is the place where elite national teams choose to concentrate, where the world's best hotel brands choose to operate, and where The Reserve's owners choose to live. In June 2026, two billion people will learn its name. Your investment there needs no further argument."
Speak with a Rivana advisor about The Reserve at Mayakoba today.
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