World Cup 2026: Violence and Protests Threaten Mexico's Co-Host Status?

The 2026 World Cup will open in Mexico City on June 11 with a match between the host nation and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium. However, just weeks before the event, football fans are growing concerned over frequent violence and protests in Mexico's host cities.

A mass shooting that killed 10 people in the state of Puebla on Sunday (May 17) has heightened security worries previously raised by human rights organizations and international visitors. Six men, three women, and a minor were victims of the armed attack in a residential area of Tehuitzingo, 200 km from the capital Mexico City.

Before the attack, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had pledged to ramp up security, including deploying 100,000 security personnel comprising National Guard troops, police, and private security company staff. The shooting came less than a month after a gunman killed a Canadian tourist and wounded 13 others at the Teotihuacan archaeological site, a popular tourist destination near Mexico City.

On Monday (May 18), President Sheinbaum said U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin would visit Mexico this week, without specifying the reason.

In April, Human Rights Watch stressed that Mexico remains one of the world's most dangerous countries for the media, while criticizing FIFA for failing to address the direct risks journalists face in Mexico's World Cup host cities. Amnesty International also urged FIFA and the host nations to take urgent action to protect fans, players, journalists, workers, and local communities amid the tournament taking place during a "severe human rights crisis."

Mexico experienced a wave of violence in February after security forces killed drug cartel leader Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he was "very reassured" about Mexico's hosting capability following the violence linked to the drug lord's death.

Alongside violence, many human rights groups in Mexico are using the World Cup to draw attention to long-unresolved socio-political issues. On Sunday (May 17), relatives of missing people organized a football match outside the governor's mansion in Nuevo Leon state to demand clarity on their loved ones' whereabouts. According to government data, Mexico has 133,960 missing persons—a crisis driven largely by gang violence and decades of institutional neglect. Earlier this month, on Mother's Day in North America, thousands led by mothers of the missing marched to protest violence and impunity.

Protests have also escalated in the education sector. On Friday (May 15), teachers and activists marched through Mexico City on Teachers' Day, demanding higher pay and policy changes. The CNTE teachers' union rejected the government's announced 9% salary increase and demanded a doubling of pay along with a reversal of education reforms. CNTE General Secretary Pedro Hernandez Morales warned that if demands are not met before the opening match on June 11, "the ball won't roll" and threatened a nationwide general strike. The warning has added tension as the administration just scrapped a plan to shorten the school year for the World Cup after backlash from parents and educators.