Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she deliberately chose not to attend the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Azteca Stadium, arguing that ticket prices were too expensive for most Mexicans and that her VIP seat would be better used by a young football fan.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Sheinbaum said she declined to use the World Cup ticket allocated to her as president because she believed attending under those circumstances would send the wrong message.
“Stadium tickets are very expensive,” Sheinbaum said.
“As president, it is better for me to give my place to someone who could not otherwise attend, someone who loves football, especially a young woman, and I can celebrate with the people for free,” she said, according to The Guardian.
Sheinbaum added that only a small portion of the population could realistically afford the cost of attending World Cup matches, where ticket prices in Mexico have become a source of public debate. Average ticket prices have reached about $3,000, placing them beyond the reach of many supporters.
“Very few people can afford tickets at those prices,” she said.
The president’s VIP ticket was ultimately awarded to Yolett Cervantes Cuaquehua, a young athlete from the Nahua Indigenous community in the state of Veracruz. She earned the opportunity after winning a nationwide government-organized competition that attracted about 1,000 finalists from across Mexico.
Cervantes gained national attention through a viral video showing her performing football tricks barefoot while wearing traditional Indigenous clothing. In the video, she recalled how her passion for football began after winning a state poetry competition at the age of eight.
The prize was a trip to Spain to watch a football match, an experience that changed the direction of her life.
“When I returned home, I fell in love with football, and at that moment I forgot about poetry,” Cervantes said. “My father trained me for four years. After two years, I was able to keep the ball in the air 3,000 to 4,000 times.”
When announcing the contest in March, Sheinbaum described the initiative as part of a broader effort to encourage greater participation by young women in sports and to remove long-standing barriers.
“For many years, doors were closed to us, preventing us from becoming referees, football players, commentators or sports presenters,” Sheinbaum said.
“Today, we want to open those doors for women and their rights so they can become whatever they want and have every opportunity to achieve it.”
Instead of attending Thursday’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa at Azteca Stadium, Sheinbaum joined hundreds of supporters at a public fan zone in Mexico City, where she watched the host nation celebrate a winning start to its World Cup campaign.
