Stones and tear gas

Mexicans riot in front of the World Cup stadium

June 12, 2026 – 3:08 a.mReading time: 2 minutes

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Protesters in Mexico City: There were riots in the Mexican capital at the start of the World Cup. (Source: Alejandro Cegarra/ap)

At the start of the World Cup, the whole world is looking at Mexico. Protesting teachers and relatives of missing people demonstrate on the streets. Riots break out in front of the Aztec Stadium.

Protesting teachers and the relatives of missing people demonstrated for their concerns in various regions of Mexico at the start of the World Cup. There were also clashes between young demonstrators, some of whom were masked, and the police during the opening ceremony directly in front of Gate 8 of the Aztec Stadium. According to the New York Times, 18,000 people took part in the capital.

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According to the report, there were riots with around 100 demonstrators in front of the stadium during the opening game of the World Cup. Accordingly, violent protesters are said to have attacked the police with stones and sticks and torn down fences. However, they were able to be driven away from the area around the stadium by using tear gas.

Meanwhile, relatives of missing people called for faster investigations and justice for their family members during a peaceful protest march. Around 130,000 people are missing in Mexico, many of whom are believed to have become victims of organized crime.

Protests in other parts of the country

In the southern state of Chiapas, dozens of passengers were stranded because protesting teachers occupied parts of the international airport near the provincial capital Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the television station Milenio TV reported. In the state of Oaxaca, CNTE members took control of toll booths and a logistics center of the state oil company Pemex.

In the state of Guerrero, protesting teachers demonstrated on various highways in the region and announced the blockade of banks in the capital, Chilpancingo. In Tijuana in the north of the country, demonstrators blocked access to the Otay border crossing with the USA.

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