By Valeria León, Max Feliu, CNN
(CNN) — Mexico will make history this summer as the first country to host three World Cups, but the excitement over that record is not reflected among Mexican fans.
Francisco Javier Ferreira remembers the two World Cups he attended in his home country in 1970 and 1986, but he will not be able to attend the third. The 70-year-old says the high cost of tickets for the 13 matches on Mexican soil, combined with the difficulty of getting a ticket and the limited number of games assigned to Mexico as the third host country, has dampened his excitement as a fan.
“For Mexico’s economic reality, the only people who have the most means will be able to get in,” he said.
Of the 104 matches in this year’s World Cup, four will be played in Monterrey, four in Guadalajara, and five at the newly renovated Banorte Stadium in Mexico City, including the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.
When FIFA released a second round of tickets in April, prices for the first game in Mexico, on June 11, ranged from $3,000 to $10,000. The sky-high ticket costs are unaffordable for most Mexicans, like Ferreira, who is retired and receives an average monthly income of $1,000.
“It doesn’t feel the same as the previous two World Cups. This World Cup basically belongs to the United States. It doesn’t feel Mexican. That’s how it feels to me because even ticket prices are out of reach for everyone,” he laments.
Criticism from fans has been increasing over ticket prices at this year’s tournament. When FIFA released a new set of official tickets for the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey last week, they went on sale at $10,990 each, per the Associated Press.
On FIFA’s own resale marketplace, the cheapest standard ticket for the final is now listed at just under $11,000, with some lower deck tickets for the final going for nearly $3 million each. FIFA does not control the asking prices on this portal, with existing ticket holders essentially allowed to charge whatever they want. FIFA does, though, take a 15% cut from both the buying and selling sides.
When asked about the ticket prices in Mexico, FIFA said it had “established a ticket sales and secondary market model that reflects standard ticket market practices for major sporting and entertainment events across the host countries.”
FIFA added that it has also offered tickets starting at USD $60, and at least 1,000 tickets at that price point were made available for every match, including the final, allocated specifically to supporters of qualified teams through their respective national associations.
It is not clear how many of those $60 tickets were purchased by Mexican fans for in-country games. FIFA did not provide figures on how many tickets at the lowest price tier were sold or claimed.
Complaints cloud the build up
Mexico City’s Estadio Banorte, formerly known as the Estadio Azteca, reopened after 22 months of renovations, which included installing a new hybrid pitch, an LED screen system, surveillance cameras, new seats and an expansion of capacity from 82,000 to 86,000 spectators. However, attending matches at this stadium during the World Cup has become unaffordable for many.
Alan Rea attended the reopening match at Estadio Banorte with his one-year-old son in h