MEXICO CITY, June 10 — The World Cup kicks off tomorrow with Fifa betting that the enduring appeal of the greatest footballing show on earth can rise above mounting anger at ticket prices and a US immigration crackdown that has seen fans, a top referee and team officials barred from the tournament.

A record 48 teams and millions of fans are set to descend on the United States, Canada and Mexico for the first World Cup co-hosted by three nations, the largest and most logistically complex edition of the tournament ever staged.

The action gets under way at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca on Thursday, with co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa at 1 pm local time launching a sprawling, nearly six-week-long spectacle that will culminate in the final at New Jersey’s 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium on July 19.

Can Lionel Messi, at the age of 38, settle any lingering debate about his status as the greatest player of all time by leading Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup title?

Or can Messi’s great rival, the 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, defy father time by inspiring a talented Portugal team to its maiden World Cup win?

Those questions and more will be answered over the course of a tournament that Gianni Infantino, the president of world football’s governing Fifa, has bullishly hyped as “the greatest show that the planet has ever seen.”

Ticket fury 

Yet Infantino’s breezy assurances have run into hurricane-force headwinds of scepticism during a build-up dogged by concerns over affordability, politics and conflict in the Middle East.

The skyrocketing cost of tickets has triggered a global backlash which has left Fifa and Infantino struggling to mount a convincing public relations defense.

The most expensive ticket for the 2022 World Cup final in Doha cost around US$1,600 at face value; in 2026 the most expensive face value final ticket being sold by Fifa is an eye-watering US$32,970.

That kind of stratospheric inflation has been prevalent across the tournament’s 104 matches, where seats for many games remain available on secondary re-sale markets despite huge demand.

Even Infantino’s staunch ally, Donald Trump, has balked at the cost, reacting with surprise when told of the $1,000 price tag for tickets to the USA’s opening game with Paraguay in Los Angeles on Friday—the first game on US soil.

“I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you,” the US president told the New York Post last month.

Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, who is grappling with teacher protests in Mexico City that threaten to disrupt Thursday’s opener, has meanwhile said she will not attend any games in Mexico.

Exclusion and fear

Other critics have questioned whether the World Cup party will be soured by the tense political climate in the United States.

Human Rights Watch says the Trump administration’s immigration, demonstrations and press freedom could lead to a World Cup defined by “exclusion and fear.”

Those concerns were given a fresh jolt of momentum on Monday when Fifa confirmed that Somali referee Omar Artan would play no part in the tournament after being denied entry to the United States.

Artan was turned back when he arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday over what US authorities said were “vetting concerns.”

The Somali official was just the latest in a growing list of people who have been barred from entering the United States for what Infantino has billed as the “most inclusive” World Cup in history.

The US-Israel military strikes launched against Iran in February have also loomed large over the tournament, where Iran are due to play three group games in the United States, starting with their opener against New Zealand on Monday.

Iran have switched their base camp from Tucson, Arizona to the Mexican city of Tijuana.

While Iran’s players are free to travel in and out of the United States, some 15 administrative and management staff have been denied visas by US authorities in a move Iranian authorities have condemned as “deliberate and discriminatory treatment.”

Fans have also fallen foul of US immigration policies, with a group of Scotland supporters having their entry permits revoked at the last minute.

Expanded field 

On the field, the decision to expand the tournament to 48 teams—up from 32 in 2022 -- is likely to strip the group stage of any sense of jeopardy.

The tournament will see a range of other innovations.

For the first time in World Cup history, every game will feature cooling breaks in the middle of each half, a measure designed to mitigate the effects of searing heat and humidity expected at many of the tournament’s 16 venues.

Players and referees will need to adjust to several new rules being rolled out at the World Cup, including teams being required to make substitutions inside 10 seconds to prevent time-wasting.

A crackdown on racist abuse will see players risk a red card for covering their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt during a confrontation with an opponent. — AFP

The mobilization – which opposes pension reforms – escalated on Wednesday when protesters broke into the headquarters of the Public Education Secretariat (SEP), damaging the government building and injuring at least two police officers.

With no end in sight to negotiations between union representatives and authorities, the ongoing demonstrations threaten to disrupt the World Cup, which begins one week from today.  

The union has blocked highways connecting Mexico City to nearby cities, vandalized public monuments, and established a large encampment a few blocks from the presidential palace. 

The CNTE is simultaneously deploying actions in at least four other states, with more regions expected to join in the coming days.

The CNTE’s central demand is the derogation of a 2007 reform to a law passed by Mexico’s social security institute dismantling a solidarity-based pension scheme and shifting workers into individually managed private accounts. Teachers are also demanding a 100% salary increase and the elimination of the USICAMM, the body that oversees teacher hiring and promotions.

Negotiations have been conducted jointly by Secretary of Government Rosa Icela Rodríguez, Education Secretary Mario Delgado, and the director general of the ISSSTE, but no agreements have been reached so far. 

The three officials were formally authorized by President Claudia Sheinbaum to conduct and close negotiations on the government’s behalf, despite CNTE demands for a direct meeting with the president. 

Secretary Rodríguez said the state’s ability to grant concessions is limited by fiscal constraints: “What cannot be done is due to a lack of budget, not a lack of will.” 

Filiberto Frausto Orozco, a CNTE leader from Zacatecas, warned that if the government rejects their demands, “there will be no more negotiations.” 

The union has also threatened to disrupt the FIFA World Cup inauguration, scheduled for June 11 at Estadio Ciudad de México. 

Earlier this week, teachers blockaded Paseo de la Reforma and toppled statues of footballers installed to promote the tournament. 

Sheinbaum campaigned on promises to address teachers’ labor grievances, but after one and a half years in office, her government has yet to deliver on the pension reform rollback the CNTE has long demanded.

On the streets, rank-and-file teachers say they are prepared for a prolonged fight. Saray López Alamillo, who has been in the classroom for six years and is an active CNTE member, expressed full support for the union’s escalation strategy.

“In my school we have talked about it and we are ready to take this fight to the end,” she told Latin America Reports.

For many teachers, the cost of protest is immediate and personal. The government docks wages for each day teachers miss class while demonstrating. 

López Alamillo knows this firsthand: “Last year, they deducted 3,000 or 4,000 pesos from my paycheck for almost eight consecutive pay periods.”

The teacher added that the losses directly hurt her ability to cover basic household expenses. 

For some teachers those deductions are enough to keep them home. For others, like López Alamillo, the financial punishment only sharpens their resolve.

With negotiations deadlocked and the World Cup opening a week away, the standoff is entering a critical phase. Neither side has shown signs of yielding.

Featured image description: Union members marched in Mexico City this week.

Featured image credit: CNTE via Facebook.

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KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 — Unifi TV has secured the rights to broadcast all 104 matches of the 2026 Fifa World Cup live in Malaysia, offering football fans comprehensive tournament coverage across three dedicated channels at less than RM1 per match.

Telekom Malaysia Bhd said the high-definition (HD) coverage would be available to both Unifi TV subscribers and non-subscribers, enabling fans nationwide to follow the tournament from any location and on multiple devices.

The full-season pass is priced at RM60, while existing Unifi TV subscribers are eligible for a special rate of RM50 to access all matches from June 11 to July 19.

“New customers can qualify for the discounted offer by subscribing to a Unifi TV package from as low as RM12 per month,” TM said in a statement today.

The Fifa World Cup 2026 season pass also includes access to more than 70 premium Unifi TV channels, including HBO, Cinemax, AXN, beIN SPORTS, SPOTV and tvN Movies, from June 11 to July 10.

TM said football fans seeking greater flexibility could opt for a daily pass priced at RM20 beginning June 12.

The company said viewers would be able to watch matches live in HD and access highlights, full-match replays and related content across smart televisions, mobile phones, tablets and web browsers.

TM Chief Business and Consumer Officer Anand Vijayan said the offering reflects Unifi TV’s continued commitment to bringing large-scale live content to Malaysians while strengthening its position as a leading digital platform for sports and entertainment.

“As one of the world’s most anticipated sporting events, the Fifa World Cup 2026 deserves a viewing experience that is accessible, seamless and immersive,” he said.

Interested customers can subscribe via the Fifa World Cup 2026 page on Unifi’s website, while existing subscribers may also purchase passes through the MyUnifi app, Unifi Self-Care Portal or Unifi TV 2.0 app.

The 2026 Fifa World Cup will be co-hosted by United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with the opening match to be held in Mexico City while the final in New Jersey. — Bernama

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MEXICO CITY, June 9 — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said yesterday she could guarantee a peaceful World Cup opening ceremony this week, despite concern over ongoing protests.

A teachers union has threatened demonstrations at Thursday’s opening game between Mexico and South Africa in the capital if the government doesn’t respond to demands for salary raises and pension reforms.

“We are going to guarantee... that the celebration of the World Cup is well-executed, in peace and tranquility,” Sheinbaum said in her daily press conference.

Last week, police dispersed protesters with teargas and rubber bullets outside the historic Zocalo square where authorities have erected a massive screen for a World Cup fan zone.

The streets surrounding the square remain closed off with metal barricades, which Sheinbaum has said are meant to guard against “provocations.”

Protesting teachers also toppled commemorative statues of players in downtown Mexico City last week.

Though Sheinbaum has maintained open dialogue with the teachers, the union has deemed government proposals insufficient.

Joining the protests are hundreds of people from the Ayotzinapa teachers college, who are demanding further efforts to investigate the disappearance of 43 students from the rural school in 2014.

Mexico City police said they discovered 59 homemade explosive devices on one of the bus convoys entering the capital on Monday, posting a photo of dozens of small white pipes with fuses on X.

Tourists ‘freaked out’ 

The teachers’ sprawling tent camps have flooded the city center, leading to complaints from businesses that tourists will stay away during the World Cup.

“The access to our restaurant is closed off, the people aren’t coming, the tourists are freaked out,” 31-year-old waiter Jonathan Herrera, who was protesting against the encampment, told AFP.

Around 50 people waited to cross through one of the metal barricades under the watch of police, where one restaurant glued a poster reading “we’re still open.”

US tourist Heather Lutz, 64, expressed support for the protesters.

“No government likes their city to look real” during big events like the World Cup, she said.

The tournament is the ideal moment to “generate pressure” to win concessions from the government, 42-year-old teacher Dinora Diaz told AFP in the street encampment.

Negotiations

Sheinbaum’s government explained on Monday their proposals to the teachers union, proposing the creation of a new state-owned company to administer pensions.

But the government dismissed the possibility of reversing pension laws, arguing it would cost around $400 million.

The teachers have rejected the government’s proposals while the Secretary of Governance Rosa Icela Rodriguez called for the strikers to lift the blockades.

“It’s fundamental that the legitimate exercise of the right to protest can coexist with the rights of those who live in and move through this great city,” the official said. — AFP

MEXICO CITY, June 10 — A protest blocked an avenue leading to Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium for hours yesterday, just days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off at the venue.

As football fans flood into tournament co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico, the Central American country is grappling with chaotic teacher protests in its capital.

Thousands took part in yesterday’s protest, which was led by a breakaway group of the CNTE teachers union following a week of demonstrations that President Claudia Sheinbaum has called a “provocation.”

“As if to say, ‘Look at how bad the situation is in Mexico,’” she told a press conference.

A police blockade prevented the demonstrators from reaching the Azteca Stadium, which will host the World Cup opening match on Thursday.

With thousands of officers deployed and concrete barriers set up around the venue, protesters rallied on the street for around three hours before dispersing.

Mexico City’s security chief Pablo Vazquez said in a statement that the movement had been peaceful.

Sheinbaum said earlier that the opening match was “guaranteed,” though the left-leaning leader again ruled out using police to repress the demonstrations.

Her government has favored dialogue with the protesting teachers, but to no avail.

“We’re going to continue our struggle,” said protester Austreberto Flores.

The CNTE teachers union has been on strike since last week to demand a salary raise and the reversal of a pension law—which the government considers unfeasible.

The teachers have also set up camp near the World Cup fan zone in Mexico City’s Zocalo square.

On June 1, police dispersed protesters in the area with rubber bullets and teargas.

“They want to make it seem like there is mass social turmoil in Mexico, and that’s not true,” Sheinbaum has said of the protests.

The teachers have called for demonstrations on Thursday that will also include families of so-called “disappeared” people, who are alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by Mexican authorities or criminal gangs.

The 2026 edition of the world’s biggest football extravaganza is the most logistically complex ever staged.

A vast global TV audience is set to tune in to the opening ceremony and match pitting Mexico against South Africa.

Mexico is still rushing to complete renovations at subway stations and at its main airport ahead of the tournament. — AFP

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