The representative for the Association of Estadio Banorte (Azteca) suite owners, Roberto Ruano, said on Monday that the organization is prepared to start legal proceedings against the stadium’s managing company if the two parties do not agree to a solution by Sept. 9 for the owners to retain access to their seats for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
When Azteca was built in 1961, Mexican businessman Emilio Azcárraga Milmo sold luxury boxes to private investors in order to finance the construction.
The contracts between suite owners and the stadium awarded individuals access to use the purchased space for 99 years, and included the rights to all events held inside the venue.
Now, with FIFA taking control of the stadium for the World Cup, suite owners are being threatened with the possibility of losing access to their luxury boxes for the tournament.
One owner, Guillermo Torres, filed a legal complaint against Profeco (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor), the Mexican government’s Federal Consumer Protection Agency, in a bid to fight for their right to use the luxury boxes.
The case will go to a final hearing on Sept. 9 in Mexico City, giving the stadium management company a firm deadline to reach an agreement with the suite owners and FIFA.
Ruano, 62, the spokesman for the association of 134 box owners, said he expects the stadium’s managing ownership to pay FIFA the amount of money needed to ensure all luxury boxes owners have their seats for the event.
“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.”
The agreement, however, is not yet official between the suite owners and the stadium.
“I’m 95% sure it will happen,” Ruano said. “Officially, the stadium hasn’t said it’s no longer possible. I’ve had very frank and cordial communication with Felix Aguirre, the stadium’s general manager. But I still trust Aguirre’s word.
“He told me that everything will be resolved by September 9th. If it isn’t resolved by September 9th, we’ll file a collective complaint with the authorities on the 10th, and then we’ll see it through to the final consequences.”
“Profeco is not the maximum distance we’re willing to go,” Torres said. “I would say it is the minimum.”
ESPN reached out to Estadio Banorte management company and to FIFA for comment.
Ruano confirmed the luxury box owners’ association communicated only with the stadium’s representatives, not with FIFA, given that the contracts with the luxury boxes were between the Estadio Banorte and each individual.
Azcárraga Milmo set a precedent for this ongoing issue in 1986, when he directly paid FIFA the price for all suite and seat owners to retain a hold of their property for the World Cup.
Ruano maintains that the difference between the 1986 World Cup and the upcoming 2026 edition of the tournament is in the immense inflation of ticket prices.
FIFA told The Associated Press it wants full control of the World Cup stadiums 30 days before the first match and seven days after the last.
The 83,000-seat stadium will host five games during the 2026 World Cup, including the opening match, and will become the first venue to host three games during three World Cups.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
