Infantino deflects criticism and urges football focus at World Cup opening press conference in Mexico City

A sanitised stage

Shortly before FIFA President Gianni Infantino began his World Cup opening press conference at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, small uniformed clean‑up crews were busy overpainting unwanted graffiti and peeling off critical posters from walls near the arena. The makeover was designed to ensure that the road leading to Thursday’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa looked untroubled. Yet discontent simmered. A caller to Mexico’s Channel 88.1 railed against “the neoliberal economic model” of global football, suspecting that President Claudia Sheinbaum would stay away because she preferred to stand with her people. Sheinbaum had already announced she would not attend any of the 13 matches on home soil, instead giving her premium ticket — number 00001 — to Yolett Cervantes Cuaquehua, a 21‑year‑old indigenous athlete from Veracruz.

“You are the pride of Mexico. You will not represent the president or the head of government, but Mexico.”

Infantino’s appeal for football focus

A Wi‑Fi failure had briefly delayed the press conference; the network returned only minutes before Infantino stepped on stage. He greeted reporters in five languages, then delivered the line he hoped would frame the session.

“I ask you to focus on football.”

He added that he knew other issues would come up. Unlike the 2022 Qatar opener — in which he famously declared that he felt “gay,” “disabled,” and “a migrant worker” — Infantino kept his rhetoric more measured this time, though he still spoke for 33 unbroken minutes.

Pressing issues: the jailed journalist and Iran

Infantino left a symbolic empty chair for Gleizes, the French journalist who has been in an Algerian prison since May 2024, sentenced to seven years for “glorification of terrorism.” Without detailing the case, Infantino appealed:

“I hope for mercy for him.”

Addressing Iran’s participation, he then turned hyperbolic, saying he would personally travel to Tehran and drive the team to the tournament by bus if necessary.

“I am very happy that Iran is participating in the World Cup. I promised them that I would come to Tehran and drive them to the tournament with a bus if necessary. I don’t know who, besides FIFA, can ensure that Iran can come under the current circumstances.”

Ticket numbers and local frustration

Infantino highlighted a commercial success story:

“We have sold over six million tickets, the request was incredible.”

Yet the figure underscored a gap in Mexico. High ticket prices had put seats out of reach for many locals, leaving them as spectators only on the streets, while the stadium underwent a costly renovation. The president’s boycott, the scrubbed walls, and Infantino’s own description of the event as “the greatest event of humanity” all combined to form a sharp contrast with the reality felt on the ground.