Estadio Banorte managing director Felix Aguirre on Friday confirmed that the legendary Azteca Stadium reached a deal with FIFA to grant luxury box owners full access to their seats for 2026 World Cup matches in Mexico City without need for any additional payment.
“We are able to announce that we have completed negotiations and agreements with FIFA. We are in the final stages of small details that will allow us to announce today, ensuring that box and seat holders have the right to use and enjoy their tickets and access during the World Cup,” Aguirre said in an interview with Ciro Gómez Leyva.
“It has been a long process; we appreciate the patience of those involved. We thank FIFA and the ticket holders.”
Suite owners previously worried about the right to use their seats, with one luxury box owner filing a legal complaint against Profeco (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor), the Mexican government’s Federal Consumer Protection Agency. The Association of Estadio Banorte (Azteca) suite owners also threatened to take legal action if the stadium failed to reach an agreement with FIFA that allowed individuals access to their seats.
The representative for suite owners’ association, Roberto Ruano, told ESPN that individuals prepared for a legal fight after several solutions were discussed between the stadium and FIFA without a resolution.
“The truth is that the stadium offered FIFA many, many options, and FIFA rejected them all,” Ruano told ESPN. “Until they got to the point of ‘you pay the equivalent of the most expensive ticket in the stadium for each seat and go ahead.’ And it seems that’s where a solution will finally be achieved. That is, the stadium will have to pay FIFA for our seats out of its own pocket.”
Aguirre has since confirmed that the stadium did in fact pay FIFA the necessary price for all suite owners to have access to their contractual seats.
“Yes [we paid],” Aguirre said. “Access and use are guaranteed. There are products that will be offered, but access and use are guaranteed free of charge. Free of charge, but there are additional products that can be purchased, such as hospitality services.”
The managing director of the stadium later confirmed suite owners will soon receive official communication regarding the solution.
ESPN has reached out to FIFA for comment.
Suite owners will now have full access for the five World Cup matches played in the 83,000-seat stadium, which will become the first venue to host games during three World Cups.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
