World Cup opener in Mexico City faces protests, rain and soaring ticket prices | OneFootball

Marketed as lavish and festive, the World Cup opener in Mexico City on Thursday at 21:00, Mexico v South Africa, could be overshadowed by uncertain weather and widespread social unrest.

Demand for the Azteca curtain-raiser has been huge and prices have surged, leaving many priced out. According to L'Équipe, all 83,264 seats have gone and resale prices range from 2,000€ to more than 6,000€.

Marie-Claudette Cornille Ibarra said her family pooled funds yet her son, Sergio-Eduardo, will still miss out. She followed France in 1986 in Leon and Mexico City, but says a ticket is now beyond reach.

Despite days of heavy rain, thousands marched towards the Azteca on Tuesday as workers finished preparations. Prompted by a dissident group from the CNTE education union, they want a pay rise and the repeal of a pensions law.

The octogenarian and former teacher urged colleagues to camp near the Zocalo. Four-metre metal panels ring the main square, evoking the Berlin Wall, and access to the fan zone by the metropolitan cathedral is through police checkpoints.

On Paseo de la Reforma, statues carry banners accusing FIFA of profiting while mothers keep searching, a nod to the country’s 130,000 missing. Many are migrants and young women, and few cases are thoroughly investigated.

Las Madres Buscadoras keep searching for clandestine graves. Nearly 100,000 security personnel have been deployed nationwide to contain possible unrest, a price many feel is too high for a party already contested.

Source: L'Équipe