EYDER PERALTA, HOST:
In just five days, Mexico will host the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mexico City, in particular, has been abuzz, preparing to welcome millions of visitors. But the weeks leading up to the kickoff have also been marked by social unrest, as NPR's Fernando Narro reports.
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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Speaking Spanish).
FERNANDO NARRO, BYLINE: At a big intersection outside the Balderas metro station, close to the city's historic center, dozens of protesters block the street. They're blind, and usually they sell merchandise on the Metro. But now the government has thrown them out.
PEDRO ORTEGA: (Speaking Spanish).
NARRO: Pedro Ortega says the city is kicking them out because of the World Cup, because they want the stations to look nice.
ORTEGA: (Speaking Spanish).
NARRO: "I love soccer," he says, "but how are you going to put that above the dignity of people with disabilities?"
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NARRO: Mexico City is living a tense moment. Sex workers are protesting bike lanes. Teachers have taken over toll booths. Families of the disappeared have blocked streets, and there are even protests against the protests. And one of the teachers unions has set up camp near the Zocalo, the city's main square and home to FIFA's fan fest. The square is surrounded by tall metal barricades and police. To get there, you have to navigate a sea of tents covering more than a dozen blocks. Maria Martinez is a union leader and teacher from Oaxaca.
MARIA MARTINEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
NARRO: "It's an indignation," she says. "The union is demanding better pay and reform of the teachers' pension system. Instead," she says, "the government is spending taxpayer money on the World Cup."
M MARTINEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
NARRO: She's indignant seeing the money go to soccer matches instead of basic needs, but not everyone thinks that way. Guadalupe Martinez is a street vendor. She sells chips, peanuts, candy.
GUADALUPE MARTINEZ: "You can feel the tension in the streets," she says. "It's affecting business."
NARRO: But she's looking forward to all the tourists who might buy from her.
G MARTINEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
NARRO: She says, "as Mexicans, we don't deserve this," at a moment when her city is supposed to be welcoming the world.
Fernando Narro, NPR News, Mexico City. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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