MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� Celebrations have run into in Mexico as the capital prepares to welcome the world in the opening ceremonies of the .
Mexico, which is jointly hosting the soccer tournament with the U.S. and Canada, is slated to kick off festivities with an inauguration and opening match Thursday in a star-studded event that will set the tone for the rest of the competition.
The World Cup comes at a time when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is walking a political tightrope, navigating a in the lead-up to July trade negotiations, and following a burst of violence in a host city in February.
Pressure has only continued to mount as guests flood into , and the government has faced a crescendo of criticisms by protesters and residents who say authorities have prioritized the competition over pressing social needs in the Latin American nation.
鈥淢exico wants to project an image to the world that doesn鈥檛 exactly square with reality,鈥� said Carlos P茅rez Ricart, a Mexican political analyst at the Mexican Center for Research and Economic Education. 鈥淭he World Cup is putting the president in a vulnerable situation 鈥� The government is under extreme pressure.鈥�
World Cup celebrations kick off
FIFA’s logo, bright orange Mexican marigold flowers, giant soccer balls and other sports decorations line streets across Mexico鈥檚 capital and the two other host cities, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Soccer fans buzzed with excitement as they strolled through Mexico City’s streets, snapping photos in front of the most famous monuments while donning their teams鈥� colors.
The sporting competition is expected to bring in $3 billion for hotels, restaurants and sports venues, according to the Mexican Soccer Federation.
The Thursday inauguration and opening match, where Mexico will face off against South Africa, are expected to draw more eyes than much of the competition, with Colombian superstar Shakira and a slate of others scheduled to perform.
If all goes off without a hitch, it will be a feather in Sheinbaum’s cap, said P茅rez Ricart, showing the world that Mexico is 鈥渕odern and capable of organizing high impact events.鈥�
Protests mount in Mexico City
For months, Mexican authorities have fortified security in an effort to offset concerns, following several days of violence that in February.
More than 100,000 soldiers, sailors, National Guard members and police officers are expected to be deployed across the three cities holding matches, yet simmering social tensions that have been growing for weeks have posed the greatest obstacle, particularly in Mexico City.
Critics in Mexico have said that the government has spent too much money and time .
For more than a week, the country鈥檚 teacher鈥檚 union has blockaded roads and toppled World Cup statues in an annual push to win better working conditions. Families of have hung flyers of their disappeared loved ones and said that authorities should focus their energies on addressing humanitarian crises ravaging other parts of Mexico.
“We鈥檙e not against the ball game,鈥� said Luis Antonio Rosales Narv谩ez, a protest organizer. But 鈥渢hey should be investing in education … not giving the city a makeover.鈥�
On Tuesday, Sheinbaum brushed off criticisms and denied that there was any social unrest ahead of the tournament.
The political opposition 鈥渨ants to give the impression that there is chaos, that there are problems, right in the middle of an international event we鈥檝e been preparing for a long time,鈥� Sheinbaum said in her morning press briefing on Tuesday.
Police have largely blocked major protests from taking over main plazas and the area outside of the stadium, but it remained unclear what would happen the day the games kick off and during the month of games that follow.
Excitement clashes with criticism
Airports across the Americas were filled with fans who had doled out money to follow their teams. Panama City’s airport 鈥� one of the main gateways between North and South America 鈥� was a sea of multicolored jerseys from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Germany and more.
鈥淭his year we鈥檙e defending the title, and we鈥檒l follow Argentina to the ends of the earth,鈥� shouted Emilio Sosa, a 29-year-old from Buenos Aires on his way to Los Angeles.
David Botero, a 43-year-old Colombian, planned his vacation around the World Cup, and was traveling to Mexico City with his family to watch Colombia鈥檚 opening match on June 17 against Uzbekistan after changing their plans to dodge higher prices in Miami.
鈥淲hat matters is that we鈥檒l get to see our team up close,” Botero said.
Others, like 66-year-old Dr. Jose Luis Mu帽oz, struck a more skeptical tone as he read and smoked a cigarette next to a park in downtown Mexico City that once teemed with street vendors, since cleared out by authorities in an effort to clean up the streets.
Mu帽oz said some of his fondest memories were taking his 8-, 12- and 14-year-old children to games during Mexico鈥檚 1986 World Cup and celebrating their home team as it was on a winning streak.
鈥淚 was so excited, and that joy I passed on to my children,鈥� he said.
This year, though, he was priced out from attending games, where tickets cost hundreds of dollars.
鈥淭he prices are sky-high. Many people aren鈥檛 going to be able to go unless they鈥檙e foreigners with a lot of money,鈥� Mu帽oz said. 鈥淚t feels very discriminatory.”
Still, he added, he will root for Mexico’s national team from home with his children and grandchildren.
鈥斺赌�
Associated Press journalists Nayara Batschke and Mar铆a Verza contributed to this report from Mexico City.
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