Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum explained on Friday why she did not attend the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa at Estadio Azteca, citing exorbitant ticket prices and revealing she gave her ticket to a young female fan.
Ticket Prices Under Fire
During her daily morning news conference, Sheinbaum stated, "Stadium tickets are very expensive. As president it's better that I give my place to someone who couldn't have gone, who loves football, especially a young woman, and I can celebrate it with the people for free."
The soaring cost of World Cup tickets has become a major point of contention, particularly in Mexico where average ticket prices of $3,000 are unaffordable for most citizens, who earn barely that amount in a month. Sheinbaum added, "Very few people can pay a ticket at that price."
Contest Winner Gets VIP Treatment
The lucky recipient of Sheinbaum's ticket was Yolett Cervantes Cuaquehua, an Indigenous Nahua athlete from Veracruz. She won a national contest organized by the Mexican government to claim the president's seat in the VIP section.
Cervantes submitted a viral video of herself juggling a soccer ball with bare feet while wearing traditional dress. She beat 1,000 other finalists from across Mexico. In the video, she recounted winning a state poetry contest at age eight, with the prize being a trip to Spain to watch a soccer match. "Coming home I was in love with football, and at that moment I forgot about poetry," she said. "My father trained me for four years. After two years I could juggle the ball 3,000 to 4,000 times."
Empowering Young Women
When announcing the contest in March, Sheinbaum framed it as a way to empower young women in sports. She said, "For many years, doors were closed to us – preventing us from becoming referees, soccer players, commentators or sports hosts. Today, we want to open those doors to women and their rights, so they can be whatever they want to be and have every opportunity to achieve it."
On Thursday, Sheinbaum watched the match alongside hundreds of other fans at one of 18 neighborhood viewing spots set up by the Mexico City government across the capital.
