Cartel riots in Mexico threaten the World Cup. What you need to know

Clashes between the military and drug cartels in Mexico have cast doubt on the peaceful conduct of the World Cup, which will be held in the summer of 2026. After the riots in Guadalajara, where four matches will be held, there were fears that the games would have to be moved to another location. The concern is reinforced by the fact that this is not the first time such incidents have occurred in Mexico. Whether criminal gangs can disrupt the tournament is in the Izvestia article.

How Mexico participates in the World Cup

• The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held simultaneously for the first time in three countries: Canada, the USA and Mexico. The vast majority of matches will be played at American stadiums, while Canada and Mexico will play a secondary role in organizing the competition. The southernmost of the three countries will host only 13 matches out of 104 scheduled.

• The International Football Federation (FIFA) has selected three stadiums in Mexico, which are located in the capital of Mexico City, as well as in the agglomerations of Monterrey and Guadalajara. On June 11, the capital's Azteca Stadium will host the first game of the entire World Cup, in which the national teams of Mexico and South Africa will meet. He will also host the last match of the Mexican part of the World Cup. It will be one of the games of the 1/8 finals, which will be held on July 5. The tournament itself will last for two more weeks after that.

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• Mexico is also home to 12 of the 64 training bases where FIFA offers teams to settle during the tournament. Some national teams have already booked their infrastructure in Mexico. In addition to the host of the World Cup, these are Colombia, South Africa, South Korea, Tunisia and Uruguay.

What are the security issues in Mexico?

• Even when choosing the countries that will host the World Cup, Mexico's candidacy could cause some controversy. Of all the countries that have ever hosted the World Cup, it ranks second in terms of the average number of murders. The situation is worse only in South Africa, which hosted the World Cup in 2010. But while violence there is widespread mainly at the domestic level, in Mexico it is provided by a high level of organized crime.

• The activity of drug cartels and other criminal groups has repeatedly led to the disruption of sporting events in Mexico. So, in 2011, because of the shooting, the game of the local teams Santos Laguna and Monarcas Morelia had to be interrupted. The players interrupted the match and ran to the locker rooms, while the fans from the stands ran onto the field, trying to leave the stadium.

• The dangerous criminal situation in the state of Sinaloa forced the Dorados club (known for being coached by Diego Maradona) to move from Culiacan. Since October 2024, he has been forced to play home matches in the quieter Tijuana, located along the border with the United States. The Sinaloa authorities have not been able to take actions that would restore security and bring the team back.

How cartels threaten the World Cup

• The Mexican authorities are fighting drug cartels, but they are resisting so fiercely that an attempt to restore order sometimes leads to the opposite effect. In the same Culiacan in 2019, a real battle unfolded when the National Guard forces tried to detain Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of the head of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin Guzman (El Chapo). In response, the militants attacked administrative and military facilities, and also took the military hostage. Because of this, the detained drug lord's son had to be released. All this time there were riots in Kuliakan, life in the city was paralyzed.

• The situation repeated itself again when, in February 2026, a raid took place to detain drug lord Nemesio Oseguera (El Mencho), who headed the Jalisco New Generation cartel. After his murder, the militants staged retaliatory actions against security forces in several states of Mexico. Guadalajara, where four World Cup matches are scheduled to take place, has been particularly badly affected. Members of drug cartels began burning cars on the streets of the city to block police traffic. Public transport was shut down, and residents were advised not to leave their homes. Some airlines have cancelled flights to Guadalajara.

• The riots continued for one day. As a result, law enforcement agencies managed to bring the situation under control. FIFA has publicly supported Mexico in its fight against crime and expressed confidence in the organizers of the World Cup. At the same time, the media reported the words of an anonymous representative of the organization, who allowed the postponement of matches in case of a re-escalation of the situation.

FIFA has already sold tens of thousands of tickets for the matches in Guadalajara, where Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Uruguay and South Korea will definitely play. Postponing the games will result in a refund to the fans and will require a variety of organizational issues to be resolved as soon as possible. In addition, a 39-day fan festival is planned in Guadalajara, which will also have to be canceled in case of new clashes with drug cartels.