Hugo Alejandro Pérez was in his house a few miles from the Mexican stadium that is slated to host FIFA World Cup games when gunfire and explosions erupted just outside his door.

The 53-year-old restaurant owner was already skeptical about his city, Guadalajara, hosting the international sporting event.

He saw a government that failed to fix basic things, like water service to his home, along with cartel violence in the surrounding state of Jalisco and shook his head. The surge of bloodshed this week following the Mexican military’s killing of the country’s most powerful cartel boss offered more confirmation of his doubts.

“I don’t think they should host the World Cup here,” Peréz said. “We have so many problems, and they want to invest in the World Cup? With all the violence, it’s not a good idea.”

Peréz joined other people Tuesday in questioning Guadalajara’s capacity to be a host city for the summer soccer competition, even as the Mexican government vowed that the international event — hosted jointly by Mexico, the United States and Canada — will not be affected.

President offers ‘every guarantee’ for World Cup

President Claudia Sheinbaum was asked at her daily news briefing what guarantees there are that World Cup matches will be held in Jalisco. “Every guarantee,” she said, adding that there was “no risk” for fans coming to the tournament.

Jalisco Gov. Jesús Pablo Lemus said he had spoken with local FIFA officials, who have “absolutely no intention of removing any venues from Mexico. The three venues remain completely unchanged.”

The same day, the Portuguese soccer federation said it was “closely monitoring the delicate situation” in Mexico.” Its national team was scheduled to play Mexico’s team in a friendly on March 28 at the newly renovated Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which is scheduled to host the opening World Cup match on June 11.

Jalisco, in western Mexico, was already facing scrutiny. The state has been plagued by some of the starkest examples of cartel violence in recent years, including the discovery of a cartel killing site at a ranch last March and a crisis of disappearances.

The state, with Guadalajara as its capital, is the central hub for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, whose leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” was killed Sunday in a capture attempt by the military.

The operation and waves of violence killed 70 people. Cartel gunmen set fire to cars to block streets in states across the country, namely Jalisco, and fought with Mexican forces into Monday as the government said the conflict was under control.

The death of Oseguera Cervantes came as Mexico’s government has stepped up its offensive against cartels in an effort to meet demands by U.S. President Donald Trump to crack down on criminal groups. The cartel, also known as CJNG, is one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico.

The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

Drug lord’s death could lead to more violence

Peréz, the restaurant owner, also commended Sheinbaum’s efforts to go after cartels, saying the government has taken cartel violence more seriously than her predecessors. At the same time, he said, local authorities in Jalisco have fallen short in protecting civilians.

The root concern for many is that the death of “El Mencho” could pave the way for more violence. Killing capos, in what’s become known as the “kingpin strategy,” has been criticized by Sheinbaum herself because it can often spark internal conflict between cartel factions and push rival cartels to make territorial grabs.

Vanda Felbab-Brown, an academic at the Brookings Institution, said she doesn’t see more acts of “revenge” by the cartel as likely, but the future remains uncertain, especially after leading figures in both CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel have been knocked out in recent years.

“If there is no clear line of succession (in CJNG), we might see a lot of fighting within the cartel, its breakup, and there are a lot of scenarios,” she said.

On Sunday, when firefights broke out between the cartel and soldiers, and gunmen began to burn a car just feet in front of Peréz’s house, he let people on the street scramble inside his home to seek cover. The fighting raged for an hour.

Now he says he doesn’t see the point of holding the games, adding that he doubts any of the money from the games will trickle down to businesses in working-class neighborhoods like his, even if they are just a 10-minute drive from the stadium. Similar tensions have simmered in Mexico City.

The World Cup is expected to be a $3 billion economic engine in Mexico, according to the Mexican Soccer Federation.

“It doesn’t help us residents at all, honestly. They should move it to Monterrey or Mexico City. But right now here, we’re not convinced,” he said. “Things aren’t in good enough shape for foreigners to be coming to Jalisco for an event like this.”

On Monday, some foreign tourists trapped in the violence in the city of Puerto Vallarta took to social media to warn of the violence, with a few remarking that they didn’t plan to return.

Despite that, Guadalajara was snapping back to its normal rhythm Tuesday. Many businesses opened their doors for the first time in two days, and streets were packed with traffic.

Workers were busy fixing up the exterior of the soccer stadium that will host World Cup matches. Cyclists zipped around outside the stadium, and parents played with children in parks.

Heavily armed police officers and National Guard members roamed the city, a sign for some that the government had the situation under control.

Juan Carlos Pila, a 55-year-old taxi driver, rolled his eyes at the reports of violence after spending two days waiting with his family for things to calm down. He said social media and local news outlets were overplaying the extent of the violence.

“People should come, man. Everyone is welcome,” he said.

Others, like Maria Dolores Aguirre, simply hoped for the best. Aguirre runs a small corner story in the cobblestoned tourist town of Tapalpa tucked away in Jalisco’s mountains, where Mexico’s military killed “El Mencho.”

Aguirre’s family business of over 50 years depends on the flow of tourists to the normally sleepy town. Now she worries bloodshed will deal a blow to her livelihood and change towns like hers.

“It’s going to affect us. It’s collateral damage,” Aguirre said. “The government is going to have to have a lot of security. … The entire world just saw what happened and, of course, people are going to think twice about coming.”

-AP

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday there was “no risk” to fans coming to the country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after violence erupted following the capture and death of Mexico’s most-wanted cartel leader, notably in Jalisco state.

Sheinbaum said “all the guarantees” for safety were in place for the top international soccer tournament, which is expected to draw hordes of fans from around the world to matches in Mexico City, Monterrey and Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara.

She said during her daily morning press conference, the situation was normalising, with security forces working to safeguard the public, after loyalists of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera set up roadblocks and torched buses and stores across the country in retaliation for his slaying in a military raid on Sunday.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino told reporters on Tuesday that he was feeling “very calm” about Mexico hosting this summer’s tournament. “Everything is going to be spectacular,” he said.

A spokesperson for FIFA said the organisation was closely monitoring the situation and was in close contact with the authorities.

“We will continue to follow the actions and directions from the different government agencies, aimed at maintaining public safety and restoring normalcy, and we reiterate our close collaboration with federal, state, and local authorities,” the spokesperson said.

Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus on Tuesday reaffirmed the state’s participation in the tournament and confirmed a series of upcoming events in the region.

“There is absolutely no intention on FIFA’s part to remove any venues from Mexico. The three venues remain completely firm,” Lemus said.

Mexico is set to host 13 of 104 World Cup matches. Four of these are set to be held in Guadalajara. It will also host some preliminary warm-up matches before the tournament opens on June 11.

Local Mexican leagues postponed some matches that had been scheduled for Sunday, the day cartel members coordinated a series of violent attacks across the country in the aftermath of an operation to capture Oseguera, known as “El Mencho”.

Sheinbaum has largely followed the political map of her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who prioritised alleviating poverty and other root causes of violence, adopting a slogan of “hugs not bullets.”

Asked whether the killing of Oseguera marked a break from that policy, Sheinbaum said this would never be the case.

“The detention of a suspected criminal with an arrest warrant can generate this type of circumstance, but we are looking for peace, not war,” she said.

The arrests of other top cartel figures in Sinaloa state have, in recent years, also triggered cartel retaliation, including shootouts and vehicles set on fire.

-Reuters

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Four soccer games in Mexico were postponed after violence flared near Guadalajara in the wake of a military operation that left cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera dead, with FIFA monitoring the situation in the host city for the 2026 World Cup.

Oseguera, known as “El Mencho” and mastermind of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), died in custody after being injured in a special forces operation on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Jalisco state, according to the defence ministry.

“At FIFA Mexico, we are closely monitoring the situation in Jalisco and remain in constant communication with the authorities,” a FIFA spokesperson told Reuters.

“We will continue to follow the actions and directions from the different government agencies, aimed at maintaining public safety and restoring normalcy, and we reiterate our close collaboration with federal, state, and local authorities.”

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that “all the guarantees” for the World Cup were in place and there was “no risk” to visitors.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino echoed the sentiment, telling reporters during an event in Colombia: “Everything is fine. It’s going to be spectacular.”

Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Guadalajara, one of the World Cup venues, will host playoff matches between Congo, Jamaica and New Caledonia from March 26-31.

Jalisco governor Pablo Lemus said FIFA had confirmed it did not intend to remove any host cities.

The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, another World Cup venue, is set to host a friendly between Mexico and Portugal on March 28 to mark its reopening after renovations.

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said it was closely monitoring developments and would decide on travel arrangements prioritising safety.

The Surinamese Football Federation is also evaluating the situation ahead of its World Cup playoff in Monterrey. “We are scheduled to arrive around March 22 or 23, but we are monitoring the situation closely,” Secretary General Mitchell Kisoor told Reuters.

MATCHES POSTPONED INDEFINITELY

The Mexican league said on its social media pages that two top-tier games scheduled for Sunday – Queretaro v FC Juarez in the men’s league and Chivas v America in the women’s league – had been postponed indefinitely.

Two second division matches scheduled for Sunday were also called off, local media reported.

Sunday’s women’s match between Necaxa and Queretaro in Aguascalientes was suspended when players fled the pitch after hearing loud noises outside Estadio Victoria, which media reports described as gunshots.

The match later resumed, with Necaxa winning 2-1.

The Mexico national team is due to face Iceland on Wednesday in a friendly fixture at the Corregidora Stadium in Queretaro.

Meanwhile, organisers of the Mexican Open men’s tennis tournament in Acapulco said the event would begin on Monday as scheduled under established security protocols.

TENNIS TOURNAMENT PROCEEDED AS PLANNED

The Merida Open women’s tournament in the eastern part of the country also proceeded as planned.

“The WTA is aware of security incidents reported in parts of western Mexico,” the WTA said in a statement, adding that authorities had increased police presence around the tournament venue.

“The safety of players, staff, and spectators remains our top priority.”

After reports of El Mencho’s death, suspected cartel members blockaded highways with burning cars and torched businesses in more than half a dozen states. No civilian deaths were reported.

In Jalisco’s popular beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, frightened tourists on social media described plumes of dark smoke rising into the sky from around the bay.

Air Canada, United Airlines, Aeromexico and American Airlines suspended flights in the area.

-Reuters

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