Dispute over 14,000 season tickets at Azteca Stadium: Ticket holders assert old rights ahead of World Cup

The origin of the conflict dates back decades. When the stadium was built in the 1960s, the then-operator ran out of money. He therefore sold 600 box seats and 8,000 individual seats to wealthy football fans. In return, these buyers received the right to attend all events at the stadium free of charge until the year 2065 – i.e., for 99 years.

For the upcoming World Cup, this meant that the ticket holders were entitled to the opening match and four other encounters at the Azteca Stadium. According to reports, the equivalent value that stadium operator Ollamani had to transfer to FIFA to buy out the season ticket holders' seats amounted to around 63 million US dollars (approximately 54.3 million euros).

Two prohibitions, two defeats

The fact that the conflict escalated at all was also due to an oversight by Ollamani. The stadium operator did not inform FIFA about the historical special arrangement with the season ticket holders, according to the reports. There was apparently a concern that the Azteca Stadium might not be selected as a World Cup venue under these circumstances.

After the dispute became public, FIFA and Ollamani attempted to restrict the exercise of the old right. For example, they prohibited season ticket holders from bringing their own food and drinks into the stadium, offering catering packages worth several thousand dollars instead. They also threatened stadium bans if tickets were resold on the secondary market.

However, both measures failed in court. The judges rejected both the prohibition of bringing in food and drinks and the threat of stadium bans for reselling tickets. The season ticket holders were thus able to prevail on both points.

Tradition and altitude in Mexico City

The Azteca Stadium is a traditional World Cup venue. It is located at an altitude of over 2,200 meters in Mexico City and hosted the FIFA World Cups in 1970 and 1986. At both tournaments, it hosted both the opening match and the final. With the 2026 finals, the stadium will host a World Cup opening match for the third time.

Mexico is co-hosting the finals in 2026 with the USA and Canada. The opening match at the Azteca Stadium marks the start of the tournament. About a week before this match, a solution to the dispute over the season tickets is now emerging, according to reports.

It remained unclear for the time being how exactly the agreement between FIFA, Ollamani, and AMTPP would look. The available reports also did not provide conclusive information on whether the 63 million dollars would ultimately flow to FIFA or whether individual components of the original deal would be renegotiated. However, it is clear that the season ticket holders will retain their legally guaranteed right to free entry to the five matches.