A duck wearing a green Mexico jersey was driven to the Estadio Azteca in a transport crate, cleared the security perimeter, filmed a television segment, and was then told he could not watch the game.

Merlín, a two-year-old duck the Guardian ranks as "the world's sixth-most famous," has become a folk hero of Mexico's home World Cup. His fans ran a campaign to get him into El Tri's group match against Czechia on Wednesday. FIFA said no.

Merlín the duck in a green Mexico jersey

Here's the part the viral version flattens: Merlín was not turned away at the gates. He was granted access to the Azteca grounds to record a segment with Televisa, one of Latin America's largest broadcasters, and rode in comfortably alongside owner Carla Gómez and her son Cristian while fans gathered to see him. A FIFA spokesperson confirmed he was allowed inside the perimeter but not the stadium itself, and declined further comment.

So it wasn't an anti-duck vendetta. FIFA regulations prohibit animals from entering venues, the body says, to safeguard their wellbeing — a blanket rule, not a ruling against one celebrity bird. Merlín got closer to the pitch than most ticketless humans ever will, then hit the same wall a service dog or an emotional-support llama would.

The fame is real and slightly absurd. Merlín normally accompanies the family as they sell drinks around the capital, and during this tournament he has done interviews, visited TV studios, and met Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum. The news of his stadium snub was picked up well beyond Mexico, including by Canadian outlet TSN. [1]

Fans have taken it about as seriously as you'd hope. One artist posted a 20-minute commissioned sketch pairing Merlín with a video-game character, captioning it simply as "Merlin the Duck of the Mexican World Cup team." [2]

“20 Minute Sketch Comm of Alisa Reinford and Merlin the Duck of the Mexican World Cup team! 🦆”
— @alyossan · 75 likes on X

Gómez, for her part, isn't worried about the seating arrangement. "Merlín is a lucky charm, and I know that, with him, the Mexican national team will win again today," she told the Associated Press, adding that the past few days have been "crazy" and that "everyone is truly amazed by Merlín."

Merlín has yet to comment on FIFA's duck policy. Whether his luck travels through a stadium wall is the only question left.

Sources

Primary source: Duck off: World Cup hero Merlín barred from Mexico game due to Fifa’s animal ban

  1. Tweet by @TSN_Sports — @TSN_Sports · community
  2. Tweet by @alyossan — @alyossan · community
  3. Tweet by @BAEMONSHANK — @BAEMONSHANK · community