{"id":2744,"date":"2026-06-25T07:06:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T07:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744"},"modified":"2026-06-25T07:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T07:06:49","slug":"merlin-the-duck-takes-a-trip-to-the-stadium-but-fifa-rules-keep-him-out-of-mexico-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744","title":{"rendered":"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

MEXICO CITY \u2014 One of the biggest folk heroes of this World Cup, Merl\u00edn the duck arrived outside Mexico City\u2019s stadium on Wednesday to great fanfare – but was ultimately told he could not remain for Mexico\u2019s match against the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump mixes politics, patriotism to kick off the \u2018Great American State Fair\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

After winning hearts across social media, supporters had launched an effort urging organizers to allow the beloved bird to attend the match alongside his family. In less than two weeks, Merl\u00edn went from waddling through the streets of Mexico City during Mexico\u2019s opening victory to visiting the presidential palace. But on Wednesday, his proverbial flight was cut short.<\/p>\n

Merl\u00edn was granted access to the Azteca Stadium grounds to film a segment with Televisa, one of Latin America\u2019s largest television networks. Under strict security protocols, Merl\u00edn traveled comfortably inside a transport crate, accompanied by owner Carla G\u00f3mez and her son Cristian, as curious fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the tournament\u2019s most unexpected star. However, he could not remain for the match, as FIFA regulations prohibit animals from entering venues in order to safeguard their well-being.<\/p>\n

A FIFA tournament spokesperson confirmed Merl\u00edn was permitted to enter the perimeter but not the stadium, and did not offer further comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese last few days have been crazy, we\u2019ll never stop being grateful for what we\u2019ve experienced,\u201d G\u00f3mez told The Associated Press. \u201cEveryone is truly amazed by Merl\u00edn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since his first appearance, Merl\u00edn has grown into a social media phenomenon and an international celebrity. Wearing a green Mexico jersey and proudly accompanying his family as they sell drinks throughout the city, the 2-year-old duck has become a familiar sight in the capital. Along the way, he has participated in interviews, visited television studios, mingled with supporters at the fan fest in Mexico City\u2019s Z\u00f3calo, and even paid a visit to Netflix.<\/p>\n

Read more Will democratic socialism play well in Peoria?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s become our unofficial mascot for Mexico and the World Cup,\u201d said Daniel Krauze, a fan outside the stadium who sported a duck hat. \u201cI feel proud to wear Merl\u00edn the duck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merl\u00edn has also found himself at the center of a trademark dispute, when at least two applications before G\u00f3mez\u2019s sought the rights to his name for exclusive commercial use. The registration was ultimately granted to G\u00f3mez.<\/p>\n

Now, following hundreds of requests from fans, the family will finally be able to watch Mexico\u2019s national team live. G\u00f3mez described the occasion as a \u201cvery powerful emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n

And although the duck darling will not be cheering from the stands, she is convinced that Mexico\u2019s most famous feathered supporter will still be bringing luck to El Tri: \u201cMerl\u00edn is a lucky charm, and I know that, with him, the Mexican national team will win again today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Forget about celebrating Father\u2019s Day<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the biggest folk heroes of this World Cup, Merlin the duck arrived outside Mexico City’s stadium on Wednesday to great fanfare – but was ultimately told he could not remain for Mexico’s match against the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[143,142],"tags":[1755,1756],"class_list":["post-2744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-sports","tag-merlin","tag-mexico-city"],"yoast_head":"\nMerlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match - Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of the biggest folk heroes of this World Cup, Merlin the duck arrived outside Mexico City's stadium on Wednesday to great fanfare - but was ultimately told he could not remain for Mexico's match against the Czech Republic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-25T07:06:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\"},\"headline\":\"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T07:06:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744\"},\"wordCount\":520,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/e1037ce85e53e276c4f36e4e260e5d05.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Merlin\",\"Mexico City\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Soccer\",\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744\",\"name\":\"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match - Home Buyer Relocation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/e1037ce85e53e276c4f36e4e260e5d05.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T07:06:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/e1037ce85e53e276c4f36e4e260e5d05.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/e1037ce85e53e276c4f36e4e260e5d05.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":700},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=2744#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Home Buyer Relocation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match - Home Buyer Relocation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match - Home Buyer Relocation","og_description":"One of the biggest folk heroes of this World Cup, Merlin the duck arrived outside Mexico City's stadium on Wednesday to great fanfare - but was ultimately told he could not remain for Mexico's match against the Czech Republic.","og_url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744","og_site_name":"Home Buyer Relocation","article_published_time":"2026-06-25T07:06:49+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a"},"headline":"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match","datePublished":"2026-06-25T07:06:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744"},"wordCount":520,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e1037ce85e53e276c4f36e4e260e5d05.webp","keywords":["Merlin","Mexico City"],"articleSection":["Soccer","Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744","name":"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match - Home Buyer Relocation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e1037ce85e53e276c4f36e4e260e5d05.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-25T07:06:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e1037ce85e53e276c4f36e4e260e5d05.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e1037ce85e53e276c4f36e4e260e5d05.webp","width":1200,"height":700},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2744#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Merlin the duck takes a trip to the stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/","name":"Home Buyer Relocation","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com"],"url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}