Protests Cloud Mexico City's Party on the Eve of the World Cup
Teachers' union demonstrations and marches over Mexico's missing persons crisis have blocked access to the capital's main plaza a day before the opening match — though President Sheinbaum insists the Azteca opener will go ahead as planned.
Mexico City's build-up to Thursday's World Cup opener has collided with a wave of social protest, with demonstrators blocking access to the Zócalo — the capital's vast main square, which is due to host the country's flagship fan celebrations — on the eve of the tournament.
The most visible action has come from the CNTE teachers' union, which has staged demonstrations demanding salary increases and the reversal of pension reforms, according to Al Jazeera. Separate marches have sought to draw the world's attention to Mexico's missing persons crisis, with campaigners highlighting the more than 130,000 people registered as disappeared in the country.
The protests have forced organisers and authorities into a delicate balancing act: heightened security around the Estadio Azteca and the city centre, without the optics of a crackdown in front of thousands of arriving international fans and media. President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed that Thursday's opening match between Mexico and South Africa will proceed as planned, according to the Washington Times.
The tension in the capital is one of several off-field storylines crowding the tournament's final hours. The Iranian football federation says its ticket allocation for group matches in the United States has been withdrawn, while Somali referee Omar Artan was barred from entering the US after the Trump administration cited suspected links to a terror organisation — a decision the official greeted with resignation. "What happened has happened, and it was fate," Artan said on his return to Somalia, per Al Jazeera.
None of it is expected to delay kick-off. But the contrast is striking: a host nation desperate to throw a month-long party, and a capital city where the noise on the streets, for now at least, is not only about football.
Sources: Washington Times — Celebrations clash with social tensions in Mexico on the eve of the World Cup · Al Jazeera — What's happening at the World Cup one day before the tournament starts?
