Signing you in

This browser doesn't support push notifications at the moment. Check browsers features, update your browser or try to use one from the list of recommended to manage your notifications settings:

If you wish to manage your notification settings from this browser you will need to update your browser's settings for this site. Just click button below and allow notifications for this site

Note Safari 16.4+ working on iOS devices also need this site app to be installed at device's Home Screen for Push Notifications to work

Notifications are blocked for this site. If you wish to manage your notification settings from this browser you will need to update your browser's settings. Usually you'd need to click on site options icon to the left of address bar and change notifications preferences/permissions from there

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum delivered a promise on Friday by giving away her ticket to the World Cup opening match.

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Sheinbaum, the first female president in the country’s 200-year history, donated her ticket No. 00001 to Yolett Cervantes Cuaquehua, a 21-year-old Indigenous woman from the eastern state of Veracruz.

Mexico plays the opening match against South Africa on June 11 at Azteca Stadium.

Cervantes Cuaquehua was selected by a jury after winning a contest for her ball-handling skills.

Sheinbaum also gave away tickets to other matches being played in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey — the Mexican venues for the World Cup — to three other amateur athletes aged 16, 22, and 23. They were also selected by the jury as part of a contest organized by the government.

“Thank you so much for considering us,” Cervantes Cuaquehua said.

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sheinbaum in March ruled out attending the opening game, stating she wanted to give prominence to young Mexican female soccer players.

“I think a young woman who plays soccer is a great representative of our country. Very few people will be able to attend the opening,” Sheinbaum said at the time. She added she will watch the game at the Zócalo, the capital’s main square, where a Fan Fest will be set up.

The president’s announcement generated mixed reactions in Mexico. While some considered it a commendable decision, others criticized it, arguing that it was a missed opportunity to promote the country.