Roberto Ruano has a luxury box in Aztec stadium from Mexico City, where he and his family can see football games and other events with privacy and comfort. And he doesn’t plan to give that up for him. 2026 World Cup.
When the stadium is handed over to the FIFA for the tournament co-sponsored by Mexico and the United States, Ruano hopes that the world soccer body will respect a agreement which dates back to the construction of the stadium six decades ago and which gave box owners unlimited access to your seats for 99 years.
“We already paid for the right to be there when we bought the title and there can be no restrictions for us,” says Ruano, 61, spokesman for an association of 134 box owners. “We have a title that supports us. “It is not a topic of debate.”
It is not clear whether the stadium owner and FIFA see it that way.
FIFA wants total control of the World Cup stadiums 30 days before the first game and seven days after the last. But the peculiar story of how the boxes were purchased at Azteca complicates things.
How was the Azteca Stadium built? This is how box sales were in the beginning
To help finance the construction of the stadium in the 1960s, Mexican businessman Emilio Azcárraga Milmo sold boxes to private investors for 115 thousand pesosor about 9 thousand dollars at the time, giving owners rights of use for 99 years.
That included access to soccer games, concerts and other events; Yes, also the 1970 and 1986 World Cups in Mexico, says Ruano.
“There were no problems in 1970. For him 1986 World Cup They wanted us out and we met with FIFA officials, and they allowed us to use our place without extra payment, so there is a precedent about it,” he adds.
How much does a box cost at the Azteca Stadium?
Azteca boxes are a top-level product in Mexico City. He current selling price for a box of 20 square meters it ranges between 15 and 25 million pesos (between 900 thousand and 1.5 million dollars). Some owners rent them for specific events.
The stadium, with a capacity of 83 thousand seats, will host five games during the 2026 World Cupincluding the inaugural one.
Ruano, whose father bought title to the box, said he was hopeful the box issue would be resolved after talks with stadium officials last week, although no concrete proposal was yet on the table.
World Cup 2026: What does Emilio Azcárraga say about the boxes at the Azteca Stadium?
Emilio Azcárraga Jean, owner of the stadium through the multimedia company Televisa and son of Emilio Azcárraga Milmo, says he hopes for an agreement soon.
“For my father, at that time, it was very important to sell the boxes to finish the construction and, so far, there have been no previous problems with the owners of the boxes. We will try to find a solution,” he told W Radioowned by Televisa.
When asked for comment, FIFA says it is collaborating with the 16 host cities of the 2026 World Cup, including plans for remodeling of the Azteca Stadiumwhich will go down in football history as the first venue to host matches in three World Cups.
What does FIFA say about the boxes at the Azteca Stadium ahead of the 2026 World Cup?
“Specific details on fan access and other information about the matches will be announced in due time”says FIFA.
Details of the Azteca’s remodeling plans are unclear, but Ruano says some box owners outside their association have agreed to free up their seats for the 2026 tournament in exchange for upgrades to their boxes and other benefits.
“Each owner has the right to see what is best for him,” he says. “But that is not my case, I have the right to be there and no one can force me to leave. It would be like someone forcing me to leave my own house.”.
AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed.
