Local Truck Drivers are Urging FIFA to Move World Cup out of Mexico Because of the Drug Cartels
Mexican freight truck drivers and growers are asking FIFA to move the World Cup out of Mexico. Drug cartels create violence that concerns them, along with their current economic difficulties.
The National Association of Freight Carriers and the National Front for the Rescue of Field Workers in Mexico said they are making this request because of a “security and safety crisis in the streets and in many regions throughout Mexico.”
FIFA scheduled the World Cup to hold matches in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey from June 11 through July 19. Mexico City will host the opening match of the tournament between Mexico and South Africa.
The National Front for the Rescue of Field Workers’ director, Eraclio Rodriguez, stated last month that “there won’t be a World Cup in Mexico without an agreement to guarantee their safety and prosperity.”
Truck drivers and farmers plan to protest during the World Cup
According to the groups, there will be protests during the games by truck drivers and farmers who want increased security on public roads and in areas where organized crime is prevalent.
They claim that cartels control many routes, making it difficult to transport sorghum, corn, and wheat, which affects both those who raise these crops and those who carry them across the nation.
The recent killing of Nemesio Oseguera, the 59-year-old head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, by the Mexican army is another concern as it has caused severe unrest in Mexico. Four World Cup matches will take place in Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco, where the violence started.
“We are asking FIFA and the world not to celebrate the World Cup in Mexico,” the field workers group wrote. “We are living a crisis, the insecurity has stolen the peace on our roadways and entire territories.”
So far, the World Cup matches will still take place in Mexico
FIFA and the Mexican government have yet to release any statements indicating that they will move World Cup matches from Mexico.
“Of course, we are monitoring the situation in Mexico these days, but I want to say from the outset that we have complete confidence in Mexico, in its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and in the authorities, and we are convinced that everything will go as smoothly as possible,” ESPN reported FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Tuesday.
FIFA could still choose to “cancel, reschedule, or relocate one or more matches (or the entire FIFA World Cup 26) for any reason at its sole discretion, including as a result of force majeure or due to health, safety, or security concerns,” according to the official rules governing the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
