Over the March international break, the Mexican national team will host Portugal in a highly anticipated friendly. Timed to coincide with the reopening of the Estadio Azteca — now renamed Estadio Banorte — on March 28, the match was marketed as a once-in-a-lifetime event.
But the possible absence of Cristiano Ronaldo from the lineup has ticket resellers extremely nervous. Many believed they were about to make thousands of dollars flipping tickets.
Instead, their expected windfall is quickly evaporating.
Wrong From the Start
Problems began in early December when tickets first went on sale through Fanki. The Colombian ticketing platform is a new vendor for the stadium and Mexico national football team after a long partnership with Ticketmaster was terminated.
The debut did not go smoothly.
During the initial sale window, the platform suffered what it described as a “system crash,” preventing most fans from completing their purchase. For many supporters hoping to see one of the greatest footballers in history play in Mexico, the dream ended with an error message.
The problems went beyond technical glitches. Users reported:
- Numerous platform errors during the presale
- Fraudulent websites impersonating ticket sellers
- A suspicious “virtual queue” system that appeared to malfunction
Fans entering the site frequently found themselves behind 54,000–55,000 people in line. After waiting between 55 minutes and an hour, the queue would finally reach position number one — only for the page to crash.
Eventually, Fanki claimed the disruption was caused by cyberattacks attempting to steal user identities. The company said it detected “unusual activity” and halted the sale to protect users’ data.
Only a Fraction of Tickets Were Sold
The presale was later rescheduled for December 11, but according to figures reported by ESPN, only 16,753 tickets were successfully sold. That left a rather obvious question: What happened to the rest of the tickets in a stadium that holds more than 80,000 fans?
Official prices for the match ranged from $25 to $450 — relatively reasonable for an international friendly featuring Portugal. But because so few fans managed to buy them, the secondary market moved in quickly.
The Resale Bubble
On resale platforms such as StubHub and Viagogo, prices skyrocketed almost instantly.
- Tickets originally priced at $25 were being resold for about $450, an 18x markup
- Premium seats originally priced at $450 were listed for nearly $5,000, an 11x markup.
All for the chance to see Ronaldo — the former icon of Real Madrid — play in Mexico.
For a while, the gamble looked brilliant. Then reality intervened.
On February 28, Ronaldo played a match in the Saudi Pro League but left the field injured. Shortly afterward, Al-Nassr manager Jorge Jesus confirmed that the Portuguese star’s injury was more serious than initially expected.
Immediately, uncertainty began surrounding his potential participation in Portugal’s upcoming friendly. And with on that doubt, the resale market began to wobble.
Prices Drop — Fast
Before news of Ronaldo’s injury, finding a ticket for less than $450 was nearly impossible on the secondary market.
Now, fans report seeing two tickets listed together for about $230 total — a drop of more than 50%.
Some premium sections closer to the field are still listed for around $1,000, but analysts who track resale markets believe prices could fall even further if Ronaldo’s absence is confirmed.
A Cautionary Tale
For resellers, the situation is a painful reminder of a simple truth: When your business model depends entirely on one global superstar showing up…
an injury report can destroy your investment overnight.
If Ronaldo ultimately travels with Portugal, resale prices will likely surge again. If he doesn’t, thousands of speculative ticket investors may be left holding very expensive souvenirs from the grand reopening of the Azteca.
But this story isn’t just about a few tickets, or about a football legend like Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s also about illegal ticket reselling in Mexico, something that has been allowed to operate for as long as we can remember, with stadiums, clubs, and even government authorities allegedly colluding with scalpers by giving them tickets so they can continue operating freely in large numbers outside stadiums.
