Unrest in the co-host country
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DFB sports director Rudi Völler described the recent escalation of violence in Mexico a few months before the World Cup as “terrifying”. In the football world, concerns about security at the tournament are growing given the events in the country of the co-host. “Of course we all hope that things will calm down again in the next few days and weeks until the World Cup starts,” said Völler at the dpa editor-in-chief conference in Berlin.
Since the country’s military killed powerful drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes – also known as “El Mencho” – his followers have set fire to cars, banks, gas stations and shops and set up roadblocks. The state of Jalisco with its capital Guadalajara, where one of the three Mexican World Cup stadiums is located and two teams – Colombia and South Korea – have planned their camp, is particularly affected by the unrest. Four World Cup preliminary round games are scheduled in the metropolis, including the match between European champions Spain and Uruguay.
A total of 13 matches of this XXL World Cup will take place in Mexico; in addition to Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey are the other host cities. Uruguay (Playa del Carmen) and probably also South Africa (Pachuca) have planned their World Cup quarters in Mexico. Two international playoff games are scheduled to take place in Guadalajara and Monterrey at the end of March and beginning of April to determine the last two World Cup participants. The world football association FIFA was asked to respond to the situation.
Newspaper in Mexico: “International alarm bells are ringing”
After the situation at co-host USA caused outrage and calls for a boycott with the immigration agency ICE’s violent crackdown on migrants, the focus is now on Mexico. “The situation raises international alarm bells, especially with regard to the safety of visitors and the organization in one of the main venues of the tournament,” wrote the newspaper “AS Mexico”. The third host country for the 2026 World Cup is Canada.
Because of the unrest, two first division games in Mexico were canceled on Sunday. The Mexican national team actually wants to play a friendly match against Iceland this week in the city of Queretaro – located between Guadalajara and Mexico City. It was initially unclear whether this could take place as planned. The Icelandic association published training photos from Mexico on Monday morning.
Tennis tournament in Acapulco will take place as planned
About 20 of Mexico’s 32 states are said to be affected by the violent protests following the death of the drug lord, local media wrote. There were deaths and injuries; there was no official number. Several embassies from other countries – including Germany – called on their citizens to be vigilant and perhaps not to leave hotels.
This week, tennis stars like Alexander Zverev are also in action at the ATP tournament in Acapulco. The organizers announced that the event will take place as planned and under normal conditions.
Völler is not in favor of a World Cup boycott
For DFB sports director Völler, the simmering debate about a boycott of the World Cup in the USA is “pointless”. At the dpa editor-in-chief conference in Berlin, he said on the topic: “It’s pointless to discuss it. It’s of no use and you’re only harming the athletes.” Völler referred to his experiences as a young professional footballer when several countries boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and Los Angeles in 1984 for political reasons. “I’ve always been against a boycott because it doesn’t help,” said the 65-year-old.
Also initiated by St. Pauli President Oke Göttlich, there had recently been some voices to at least discuss a boycott of the World Cup. The background to the discussion was, among other things, the conflict between the USA and the European NATO states over US President Donald Trump’s claims to ownership of Greenland. The sometimes brutal actions of the US immigration authority ICE against migrants in the United States, in which two people were killed, also caused political debates about the World Cup co-host USA.
Basically, Völler does not want to let political issues like these overshadow the national team’s World Cup trip again. “We are there to play football,” said the DFB sports director. According to Völler’s wishes, discussions like those during the World Cup in Qatar about the rainbow captain’s armband should not be repeated. “There are no muzzles, everyone can express their opinion and can also see things critically, but not the day before the game,” said the 1990 world champion.
