Long queues of fans formed outside the Azteca Stadium five hours before the start of the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday, with authorities introducing strict access restrictions to the area because of fears of protests.
In high spirits, fans in Mexico City sang or simply waited until the gates opened for spectators. Many wore typical regional outfits.
Only a few cars were able to get close to the football temple, where a World Cup is starting for an unprecedented third time, because of the restricted zone around the stadium. Access roads within a radius of about 1.6 kilometres were completely closed. The city backed up the measure with a large police presence.
The reason for the so-called "last mile" is the threat of protests and blockades. The mood in the metropolis at the foot of Popocatépetl has been tense in the days before the opening match - a repeat of the first game at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa (1-1).
Tensions were triggered mainly by protests and sometimes violent demonstrations by a radical teachers' union. Police units and the National Guard were repeatedly deployed.
No solution is in sight to the long-running row over pension reforms.
Elsewhere in the capital and in other Mexican cities, the teachers took to the streets.
Relatives of missing people also protested on the roads, calling for faster investigations and justice for their family members.
