FIFA Loses Standoff for Mexico City Stadium Box Use in World Cup

Holders of boxes at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Banorte, previously known as Estadio Azteca, won a standoff against FIFA over who gets to control those spaces during the 2026 World Cup.

The use of the boxes and VIP seating has become an issue in the lead-up to the soccer tournament as the stadium had signed contracts that spanned 99 years of box access in order to fund a 1966 renovation, according to a spokeswoman at Ollamani SAB, the company that owns the stadium. The boxes include 12,500 individual spaces out of the 90,000 the stadium will have following the current renovation.