Mexico’s Sheinbaum Guarantees “No Risks” in FIFA World Cup Following Cartel Violence

MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says that there will be “no risks” to security guarantees to host several matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following deadly clashes with drug cartels on Sunday.

Over the weekend, the leader of the infamous Jalisco New Generation Cartel, CJNG, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known by his nom de guerre, “El Mencho,” was killed following a federal operation with the Mexican military in Tapalpa in Jalisco state.

At least 25 Mexican security officials have been killed in ambushed throughout the region.

U.S. intelligence was provided to Mexican partners to aid authorities to “El Mencho’s” hideout in Tapalpa, where the fugitive engaged with authorities with heavy gunfire.

Associates of “El Mencho” then went on a rage-filled arson spree, seizing vehicles from private citizens and burning them to set up roadblocks to impede authorities from carrying out further operations in the state.

Cartel members also burned local businesses and gas stations, bringing Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta at a standstill as the Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro declared a “RED ALERT” for Jalisco state.

Cancellations at Guadalajara Airport, at this hour, still back-jam tourists at their beachside resorts, leaving them stranded amid the ongoing chaos.

Four matches of the upcoming FIFA World Cup are scheduled to be hosted in Guadalajara this summer, stirring speculation from the tournament’s organizers on whether the Mexican government is prepared to provide the necessary security measures to guarantee the safety of the momentous event.

According to unconfirmed reports by MARCA, FIFA officials already requested “formal information from the Mexican government to know the security situation after the disturbances” on Sunday.

Sheinbaum addressed the public via the president’s daily press briefing in Mexico City, stating that there are “all the guarantees” for the World Cup to be held in Mexico.

“Little by little, the situation [in Jalisco] is returning to normal,” said Sheinbaum.

FIFA said that the organization is currently monitoring the situation as it develops and “remains in constant communication with [Mexican] authorities.”