When Mexico City's iconic Azteca Stadium is handed over to FIFA for the 2026 World Cup, fans who have secured private boxes at the venue expect the world soccer body to honor a deal dating from the stadium’s construction six decades ago.
That deal gave box owners unlimited access to their seats for 99 years.
“We’ve already paid for the right to be there when we purchased the title and there can be no restrictions for us,” says Roberto Ruano, 61, the spokesman of an association of 134 box owners, as reported by The Associated Press. “We have a title to support us. It’s not up for debate.”
According to AP reporter Carlos Rodriguez, "It’s unclear whether the stadium owner and FIFA see it that way."
FIFA wants full control of all stadiums hosting matches during the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Mexico and the U.S., starting 30 days before the first match and lasting until seven days after the tournament ends. But the peculiar history of how the boxes were purchased at Azteca complicates things, Rodriguez reported.
Per his report:
To help finance the construction of the stadium in the 1960s, Mexican businessman Emilio Azcárraga Milmo sold boxes to private investors for 115,000 pesos, or about $9,000 at the time, giving the owners rights to use them for 99 years. That included access to soccer matches, concerts and other events, including the 1970 and 1986 World Cups in Mexico, Ruano says.
“There were no issues in 1970. For the 1986 World Cup they wanted us out and we met with FIFA officials, and they allowed us to use our place without extra pay, so there’s a precedent for it,” he adds.
The Azteca boxes are a top commodity in Mexico City. The current asking price for a 20-square-meter (65-square-foot) box ranges from 15 million to 25 million pesos ($900,000 to $1.5 million). Some owners rent them out for specific events.
The 83,000-seat stadium will host five games during the 2026 World Cup, including the opening match.
Emilio Azcarraga Jean, the owner of the stadium through multimedia company Televisa and the son of Emilio Azcárraga Milmo, says he expected an agreement soon.
Asked for comment, FIFA says it is collaborating with all 16 host cities of the 2026 World Cup, including on remodeling plans for Azteca Stadium, which is set to go down in soccer history as the first venue to host games in three World Cups.
“Specific details on fan access and other match information will be announced in due course,” FIFA says.
The details of the Azteca remodeling plans are unclear, but Ruano says some box owners outside of his association have agreed to release their seats for the 2026 tournament in exchange for upgrades of their boxes and other benefits.
