Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has explained her absence from the World Cup opener at the Estadio Azteca, citing prohibitive ticket prices. During her daily press conference on Friday, she stated that she gave her ticket to a young female fan, as most Mexicans cannot afford the steep costs.
“Stadium tickets are very expensive,” Sheinbaum said. “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 average ticket price of around $3,000 is out of reach for many Mexicans, who earn barely that in a month.
The recipient of the president's ticket was Yolett Cervantes Cuaquehua, an Indigenous Nahua athlete from Veracruz. She won a national contest with a viral video of herself juggling a soccer ball in traditional dress. Cervantes, who beat 1,000 other finalists, recounted how she fell in love with football after winning a trip to Spain as a child.
Sheinbaum framed the contest as a means to empower women in sport, saying, “For many years, doors were closed to us… Today, we want to open those doors to women and their rights.” On Thursday, she watched the match at one of 18 public viewing areas set up across Mexico City.
