Unaffordable tickets: Mexican family’s World Cup frustration | OneFootball

Fernando, Jairo, and Emilio Rueda share the same last name and a passion for soccer. But with ticket prices much higher than at the previous two World Cups held in Mexico, grandfather, father, and grandson believe it is impossible for them to go to the stadium together to watch their national team.

Having a World Cup at home is something rare, even though this year’s edition will be the third held in Mexico, after 1970 and 1986.

Jairo tried everything to buy tickets, whose high prices have drawn criticism from fan organizations against FIFA.

After having no luck in the official draw to purchase them, he was left at the mercy of the law of supply and demand, which drove ticket prices up to hundreds or thousands of dollars.

“The tickets became unaffordable,” says the 51-year-old finance specialist. “With soccer being such a popular sport, access to stadiums for a World Cup has become something classist, elitist,” Jairo laments.

See also: All Gazeta Esportiva news Gazeta Esportiva's YouTube channel Follow Gazeta Esportiva on Instagram Join Gazeta Esportiva's WhatsApp channel

He speaks from experience and has a major witness: his father, Fernando Rueda, an 86-year-old retired civil servant.

That summer of 1986, when Mexico was hosting the World Cup for the second time in less than 20 years, Fernando received a generous gift.

A coworker “not such a big fan” of soccer gave him tickets to three matches: Argentina vs. South Korea, Mexico vs. Iraq, and England vs. Paraguay.

“My two sons went to all three,” Fernando recalls. That coworker’s gesture is unthinkable in 2026, when online resale makes it easy to find buyers willing to pay millions of Mexican pesos.

“Crystal-clear memories”

“I have crystal-clear memories, I was already completely hooked on soccer,” says Jairo, who was 12 at the time.

From those days, he fondly keeps in mind Argentina’s crowning under Diego Maradona, the penalty missed by Mexico’s Hugo Sánchez against Paraguay during the group stage, and the fearsome English ‘hooligans,’ who were seated near him in the stands of the Azteca Stadium.

“There were lines at the ticket booths at the stadium entrance, because it was possible to buy tickets on match day,” he says.

Father and son also remember the festive atmosphere that took over the Mexican capital during previous World Cups.

In 1970, “soccer was already beginning to become more of a mass sport,” Fernando notes.

A devoted admirer of Pelé, who led Brazil to its third title, grandfather Rueda recalls how he watched the matches during working hours.

“Somehow, we managed to get a coworker who had a television to bring it to the office, and then we watched the games, not with too much excitement because it was a government office,” he says with a smile.

Jairo does not forget the fervor of 1986: fans from all over the planet filling the streets, homes decorated for the World Cup, and chants in support of Mexico.

“Frustrated that I can’t go”

Today, 13-year-old Emilio is preparing for his first World Cup at home, which reinforces the passion for soccer that unites him with his father and grandfather.

It will be the first edition of the tournament with 48 teams and jointly organized by three countries — Mexico, the United States, and Canada — something he does not consider a “good idea.”

“Maybe the match or the team you wanted to see won’t be playing in your country,” says the boy. That is the case with France, his favorite team, which will play in American cities.

A youth player since the age of six, Emilio admits that he is “jealous” of his father and grandfather for having watched World Cup matches in the stadium.

“I feel a little bad, frustrated that I can’t go to the World Cup,” he says.

Gathered around the family table, the three show off their treasures: World Cup sticker albums, from the 1986 Mexico edition to Qatar 2022, jerseys, and items they collect from their favorite teams and players.

And although they are cautious about Mexico’s chances, they are all wearing the national team jersey as the excitement continues to build.

“I still hope to get lucky and maybe find a ticket at a good price so I can go with my father, my son, and my brother,” Jairo says.

He admits that he even considered traveling to the United States in the hope that the greater supply there would make it easier to buy a ticket.

*with content from AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.