Today, Mexico makes history as the first country to host three World Cups, but Mexican fans don't seem to be excited about that record.
Francisco Javier Ferreira remembers fondly the two World Cups he attended in his home country, in 1970 and 1986, but he will not be able to attend the third. The 70-year-old player says his enthusiasm as a fan has diminished due to the high price of tickets for the 13 matches on Mexican soil, the difficulty in obtaining tickets and the limited number of games Mexico has to play as the third host country.
“For Mexico's economic reality, only those with the most means will be able to enter,” he told CNN.
Of the 104 matches at this year's World Cup, four will be played in Monterrey, four in Guadalajara and five at the newly renovated Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, including today's opening match between Mexico and South Africa.
When FIFA released the second round of tickets in April, prices for the first game in Mexico ranged from $3,000 to $10,000. The sky-high ticket prices are unaffordable for most Mexicans like Ferreira, who is retired and earns an average monthly income of $1,000.
“It doesn't feel like the last two World Cups. This World Cup is basically the United States. It doesn't feel like Mexican. I feel the same way because the ticket prices are also out of everyone's reach,” he laments.
Read more about the high ticket prices affecting Mexican football fans here.