MEXICO CITY.- “Boycott the World Cup. CNTE.” Several graffiti with that inscription were reflected this Tuesday on walls and advertising posters along the very busy Calzada de Tlalpan, the avenue that leads to the legendary Azteca Stadiumwhere tomorrow will run the curtain of World more expensive and bigger never celebrated until now.
The remodeled subway stations, which bear the official legend “Mexico City, capital of transformation,” the pedestrian crossings painted lilac and the flower beds with hundreds of flowers are just a call to show that the game will be played here. the cup. When talking to fans and neighbors of one of the most populated cities in the world the feeling remains that this country does not organize the World. Rather, it will host the opening partythe local debut and a handful of other games.
In some emblematic corners of El Zócalo, where the FIFA fan festor Paseo de la Reforma, street vendors offer the tricolor shirt that will paint the more than 80 thousand seats of the Azteca.
The Mexicans puff out their chests to host the third World Cup and are excited about a better performance from their national team. soccera sport that is ultra-popular here but has never produced results in the world championships.
It’s been months since there are no more entries for Mexico-South Africa, but those that can be obtained on resale They range from 2,300 to 9,000 dollars.
Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey will host 13 of the 104 matches of this World Cup shared with their northern neighbors, where until now apathy wins widespread and even images of deportations and mistreatment with foreign delegations are mixed, something unprecedented for the great FIFA event.
Pickets and protests
What most occupies Mexicans at this time are the pickets that have been going on for a few days. teachers union that arrived from the interior of the country and that threatens to boycott the inaugural party that the whole world will look at when Shakira move your hips on the same grass that you dedicated to Diego Maradona and Pelé.
If getting to the stadium takes more than an hour by car from the emblematic Paseo de la Reforma avenue, game day will be quite an adventure. The authorities will maintain a security fence of about two kilometers around the Colossus of Santa Úrsula in order to contain the demonstrations of the CNTE union. Fences were erected to prevent teachers from advancing towards the stadium.
“We are going to ensure that the celebration of the opening of the World Cup is carried out well, in peace and tranquility,” he said. President Claudia Sheinbaum as a way to bring peace of mind to citizens. Furthermore, he decreed in these hours that There will be no classes in the capital and the public administration will be able to work remotely in order to make access to the stadium easier.
The central square of El Zócalo, where the fan fest for fans who do not have tickets and want follow the games on the big screenwas also the scene this week of different protests. Together with the teachers, relatives of those who disappeared in recent years due to organized crime demonstrated. and institutional violence. In a country with more than 130,000 missing people in the last twenty years alone, according to the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons, making this claim visible in front of the World Cup window is a good opportunity.
For the hours prior to the inauguration, there is a call a great march in the Tlalpan area, near the Azteca, and also in the Zócalo.
Unusual claim
Not only teachers, peasants and mothers of pain want to show their discontent. A Strange judicial dispute between the owners of the Azteca boxes and FIFA has the organization of the match in suspense inaugural.
Manuel Negrete was the author of one of the goals most remembered by Mexicans and which some have exaggeratedly dubbed “the goal of the century.” That scissors that Negrete scored against Bulgaria in Mexico 86 He elevated him to the heaven of the great idols of El Tri. Now, Negrete presides over the Mexican Association of Box and Stage Holders, which is fighting in court against FIFA against the use of facilities for the World Cup.
The claim is the following: those who bought the boxes For years they have maintained that they have acquired rights and that is why they went to court to access their places, sell them, use the parking and even bring in food and drinks. Of course FIFA regulations oppose this in any competition that organizes
This Tuesday, FIFA managed to get a federal judge to suspend the access that the owners had obtained through precautionary measures. However, the issue is not closed yet and the owners of the boxes threaten to launch new protests on opening day.
Cost of the World Cup
On Sunday, in the northern state of Coahuila, between Chihuahua and Nuevo León, The PRI obtained a clear victory in the local elections where security was the focus of the campaign. The historic party that governed Mexico for almost seven decades, including the two world cups that were already organized in 1970 and 1986left power a quarter of a century ago under a strong political and institutional wear and with strong corruption allegationswas the fourth most voted national force in the 2024 elections, which brought to power Sheinbaum, who dominates a large part of the 30 Mexican states with his Morena force. With victory in one of its last strongholds, the PRI attempted to nationalize the election and establish itself as an alternative in a fragmented opposition for next year’s midterms.
As happens in Argentina, Mexican politics gets involved in almost all topics of interest public and the World Cup was no exception. He cost derived from the decision to host has been a topic of discussion for months. Also, the number of works that were completed within a few hours of the start and even others that are still in their final touches. Deputies from the ruling Morena party, which also governs Mexico City, defend the investment of more than 1 billion dollars in infrastructure works for the country’s capital.
Works linked to the world cup include more than 2000 projects completed or in progress. Among them, the renovation of the international airport and the comprehensive modernization of a train to connect the metropolitan area, the comprehensive renovation of the metro, which includes 20 stations, the paving of 250 linear kilometers and the construction of new tracks, among many other works.
The Elevated Park on Calzada de Tlalpan is still under construction. On Sunday, Mayor Clara Brugada led the inauguration despite the fact that there was still pending work. Some subway stations suffered in the last few hours the intense rains that punished the country’s capital. There are leaks and puddles in several places that were recently reopened.
Despite the crossings, It is estimated that this World Cup will leave a legacy in infrastructure and seasonal growth in the tourism and services sectors.. But it will not have a strong impact on the GDPwhich is estimated to grow above 1 percent this year. Specialists predict that the cup will leave a profit of over 3 billion dollars. The thirteen games that will be held in the Mexican capital and the other two venues selected by FIFA, Monterrey and Guadalajara, will also generate more than one hundred thousand temporary jobs.
Despite everything, FIFA’s business is up and running and stronger than ever. This Thursday Shakira He will move his hips, the ball will roll and the fans will forget about their daily problems at least for a couple of hours.
