Protesters, police clash outside World Cup opener in Mexico City
Protesters and police clashed outside Mexico City Stadium as the 2026 World Cup began on Thursday.
The tournament kicked off with co-hosts Mexico meeting South Africa in Mexico City against a backdrop of significant civil unrest and anti-government protests.
A strong security presence was in place around the perimeter of the 82,000-capacity arena with supporters and others attending the game advised to arrive well in advance of the 1 p.m. ET kick-off time.
The Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City (SSC CDMX) reported that “a group of around 200 hooded individuals” clashed with law enforcement officers outside the stadium before the situation was brought under control. A 28-year-old woman reported to be involved was detained, it added, before later being released.
Mexico City Metro reported that multiple stations were closed as a result of the protests while a reported incident at a fan zone in the city was defused, local authorities said.
Despite the disruption outside the stadium, the majority of supporters in attendance appeared to get inside without delay.
A strong security presence was in place around the perimeter of the 82,000-capacity arena. (Reuters / Quetzalli Nicte-Ha)
The build-up to the tournament’s opening game featured ongoing protests between the country’s state and a militant wing of the national teachers’ union (Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educacion or CNTE). The first two days of June saw activists teargassed as they set plastic statues of footballers alight and caused so much traffic disruption that Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum was prevented from reaching the National Palace.
The dispute centers around an election commitment President Sheinbaum made to repeal the unpopular 2007 ISSSTE Law, a change to the pension system away from a state-guaranteed model.
The CNTE is in the 10th day of a national strike, which has kept more than one million children away from school, and is also demanding a 100 per cent pay rise.
Protests have also formed around anger at the government for a perceived apathy towards narco-violence. On Sunday, the main road to the Azteca Stadium was closed by protestors carrying a banner which stated “FIFA go home.”
Among the organisers of the protests were relatives of the estimated 130,000 people missing due to the violence. The CNTE said Wednesday that it would march alongside representatives of the families of the disappeared.
The Mexican government announced on June 9 that all school classes in the capital will be suspended on Thursday to ease traffic for the match. It followed an announcement in May from the nation’s ministry of public education that the school year would finish six weeks early, only for the decision to be revoked five days later.
In February, the co-hosts experienced violent scenes across the country after the Mexican army killed drug lord Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes in an operation intended for his capture. The operation occurred two hours from Guadalajara, which will host four tournament matches.
On the field, Mexico won the game with goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez securing a 2-0 victory in a match marred by three red cards.