Mexico launches an unprecedented security operation ahead of the World Cup
Mexico is entering the final preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a security plan whose scale goes beyond the usual measures for sporting events in the country. According to information published by Mexican authorities and reported by international agencies, around 100,000 members of security structures will be engaged to protect the tournament, including the army, marines, the National Guard, police and private security. The operation applies to the three Mexican host cities, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, but also to key transport points, tourist locations, team hotels, fan zones and other areas where a greater concentration of people is expected.
Such a scope of measures comes at a moment when the football tournament, which begins on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City, is also turning into a major test of public security. FIFA states that this is the largest World Cup so far, with 48 national teams, 104 matches and the final on 19 July in the New York New Jersey area. Mexico, which is hosting together with the United States of America and Canada, is organizing 13 matches, including the opening at the Azteca Stadium, that is, Mexico City Stadium according to the official tournament nomenclature.
Mexican authorities are publicly stating that fans, national teams and official delegations will be safe. Associated Press reported on 10 June that reinforced patrols of heavily armed police and the National Guard are already visible in Guadalajara, while anti-drone teams, video surveillance systems, specialized crowd-management units and military-police patrols are being announced across the country. At the same time, the scale of the operation shows that the organization of the tournament is viewed not only as a logistical and sporting challenge, but also as an event of high security, political and reputational risk.
Plan Kukulcán and three cities under a special regime
The security framework for the Mexican part of the tournament is most often publicly referred to as Plan Kukulcán. According to an AFP report carried by international media, the plan provides for the protection of 13 matches played in Mexico and includes police, military and private security forces. Most of the attention is focused on Mexico City, where the opening match between Mexico and South Africa is played, and on Guadalajara and Monterrey, cities that also expect a large arrival of fans. According to FIFA’s schedule, Guadalajara will host several group-stage matches, including the meeting between Mexico and the Republic of Korea on 18 June, while Monterrey, among other things, will host the match between Tunisia and Japan on 21 June and the meeting between South Africa and the Republic of Korea on 24 June. Mexico City, besides the opening, remains an important point of the tournament in the later phase of the competition as well, which makes the security presence longer-lasting, and not merely a ceremonial measure for the first day.
According to Associated Press, more than 100,000 members of the army, navy, National Guard and police are expected in the three host cities and at the main tourist destinations during the tournament. In Guadalajara, according to the same report, almost 15,000 security personnel have been deployed, including members of the National Guard with automatic weapons and vehicles with mounted machine guns near the stadium. Authorities in Jalisco claim that the reinforced presence is a preventive measure and that the goal is to deter incidents, not to create the impression of a state of emergency.
The Mexican government fits the security approach into a broader national strategy, which, according to the official Security Cabinet, is based on four pillars: addressing the causes of violence, consolidating the National Guard, strengthening intelligence and investigative work, and coordinating federal and state authorities. In the case of the World Cup, that coordination is further expanded to FIFA, local authorities, transport services, airport administrations and organizers of official fan gatherings. Precisely for that reason, the operation covers not only stadiums, but also airports, hotels, training camps, public spaces and corridors along which fans and national teams will move.
Guadalajara under scrutiny after violence linked to cartels
The most sensitive security point ahead of the tournament remains Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco. Associated Press reported that the city was shaken at the beginning of 2026 by a wave of violence after the Mexican army in February killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. According to AP, the operation and the waves of violence that followed claimed around 70 lives, while armed groups set vehicles on fire, blocked streets and clashed with Mexican forces.
That very context explains why security measures in Guadalajara are more visible than under usual circumstances. Local security coordinator Alfonso Briseño told Associated Press that normal conditions in Jalisco returned less than 48 hours after the events of February and that authorities guarantee the safety of visitors. According to him, local services are ready to respond if a new threat appears, while Mexican and state authorities are trying to convince the public that the violence from February will not mark the tournament.
Guadalajara will be under special scrutiny during the tournament also because Jalisco is one of the centers of activity of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Associated Press states that security in that city will be especially important for the match between Spain and Uruguay on 26 June, at which the arrival of Spanish King Felipe VI is expected. Such events increase the need for coordination of protocols, protection of high-ranking guests, control of approaches to the stadium and management of larger fan groups in the city.
Mexican authorities, FIFA and local organizers are trying to separate security assessments from the broader picture of violence in the country. Still, the fact that the tournament is being held in a country with long-standing problems of organized crime means that security services must work on several levels simultaneously: from preventing armed incidents and protecting transport routes to monitoring potential threats to fan zones and tourist destinations. According to available information, there has been no official announcement of moving matches from Guadalajara, and FIFA has previously expressed confidence in Mexican preparations.
Mexico City prepares for the opening, fan zones and possible protests
Mexico City has a special role because the tournament opens there and the greatest symbolic attention is expected. FIFA’s schedule confirms that the first match is on the program on 11 June 2026, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated, according to Associated Press, that the opening ceremony is guaranteed and that the World Cup will be held as planned. The authorities’ message comes at a moment when large public gatherings are expected in the city center, including official fan content and open-air broadcasts.
The British Foreign Office, in its travel advice for the World Cup, states that FIFA Fan Festivals in Mexico will be organized in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey. The same source warns that since the beginning of June, protests by workers’ unions have occasionally caused disruptions in Mexico City, especially in the historic center, around the Zócalo and surrounding streets. According to British guidance, the protests are mostly peaceful, but some have ended in clashes with police and an increased presence of security forces.
The Guardian reported on 6 June that security around the Zócalo is being reinforced due to rising social tensions and several protest groups, including teachers’ unions, families of missing persons, animal rights activists and other organizations. According to that report, authorities insist that the fan zone will remain open during the tournament, despite protests and criticism that the World Cup is being given priority over social demands. Such a situation places the security services before a delicate task: to protect a major public event while at the same time avoiding an excessive reaction toward peaceful gatherings.
Additional complexity is created by Mexico’s legal framework for foreign nationals. The British Foreign Office warns that foreign nationals in Mexico are prohibited from participating in political activities and that authorities may detain or deport them if they become involved in protests. Such warnings are important because during the tournament an intermingling of sporting, tourist and political flows is expected: a large number of visitors will move through the same spaces where union or social protests may take place.
Tourist destinations, transport and security warnings for visitors
The security operation is not limited to stadiums. According to Associated Press, Mexican authorities are planning protection for airports, fan festivals, team camps and strategic facilities, while a larger presence of forces is also expected at important tourist locations. This is especially important because the World Cup does not take place only as a series of matches, but as a movement over several weeks of a large number of people between cities, hotels, airports, restaurants, cultural attractions and public spaces.
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico, in a special information notice for the World Cup, reminded travelers of the State Department warning that they should exercise increased caution in Mexico due to crime, kidnapping and other security risks, with the note that the level of risk differs by state. According to that publication, travelers who intend to go to Mexico by road should check routes in advance and avoid mistakes previously encountered by foreign visitors on Mexican roads. British travel advice additionally emphasizes the need to monitor local media, plan extra time for travel and follow the instructions of local authorities, especially in the event of protests and traffic blockades. During the tournament, such recommendations may be crucial for fans who rely on public transport, taxi services, organized transfers or flights between host cities. In practice, the security challenge will not only be preventing serious incidents, but also maintaining traffic, access control and basic public order in cities that are already burdened by regular urban problems.
Mexican authorities are trying to send the message that preparations are sufficiently extensive and that the presence of uniformed forces will have a deterrent effect. But a greater militarized presence can also have another side: among part of the public and human rights organizations, it raises the question of proportionality, accountability and the way protesters, local residents and fans are treated. It will be precisely the behavior of security forces on the streets, and not only the number of deployed people, that will be one of the key indicators of the success of the Mexican security plan.
Human rights organizations warn of risks
Amnesty International, in a report published in March 2026, warns that the World Cup is being held in the context of serious human rights challenges in all three host countries. For Mexico, it specifically cites the mobilization of 100,000 security personnel, including the military, as a response to the high level of violence, but warns that such an approach may increase risks for people who want to protest peacefully. The organization particularly mentions women activists and families seeking truth, justice and reparation for missing family members, and who are planning peaceful messages connected with the opening match in Mexico City.
That warning does not mean that the security operation itself is unnecessary. Major international sporting events require layered protection, especially when they gather tens of thousands of people in stadiums and additional crowds in fan zones. However, according to human rights organizations, the goal of security must not be to narrow the space for lawful expression of dissatisfaction or for public reminders of problems that exist independently of the tournament. In the Mexican case, this particularly applies to the issues of missing persons, violence linked to organized crime and citizens’ trust in institutions.
The World Cup is therefore not only an opportunity for Mexico to present its football tradition and tourist appeal, but also a test of the state’s ability to protect visitors, respect civil liberties and maintain order in cities under global attention at the same time.
The biggest tournament also requires the biggest coordination
The 2026 World Cup is especially demanding because it is being played for the first time in a format with 48 national teams and because it is spread across three countries. When announcing the schedule, FIFA emphasized that the goal was to reduce travel for teams and fans wherever possible, but the security reality remains complex: threats, crowds and protests do not respect the boundaries of the sporting schedule. In Mexico, special attention will be paid to how coordination works between federal forces, local police, the National Guard, private security, city services and FIFA’s operational teams.
For the hosts, the most important thing is that the tournament passes without serious incidents, but it is equally important that the security picture does not overshadow the game itself. However, the 2026 edition is taking place in a different security, media and political environment, in which every incident spreads globally instantly and can affect the perception of the entire hosting effort.
The mass presence of uniformed forces is therefore at the same time a message of security and a reminder of the fragility of the circumstances in which the tournament begins. Mexican authorities assure that stadiums, fan zones and tourist routes are under control, international institutions and governments issue cautious travel advice, and human rights organizations demand that the protection of visitors not become an excuse for suppressing peaceful protests. How that balance will be maintained will be shown by the first days of the tournament in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Sources:
- Associated Press – report on reinforced security in Guadalajara, the deployment of forces in Mexican host cities and the context of violence in Jalisco (link)
- FIFA – official match schedule of the 2026 World Cup and data on the tournament format, cities and stadiums (link)
- FIFA – official announcement of the schedule, opening date in Mexico City and final in New York New Jersey (link)
- AFP / Punch Nigeria – report on the Mexican plan to deploy around 100,000 police, military and private security personnel for 13 matches in Mexico (link)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office – travel advice for the World Cup in Mexico, fan zones, protests and rules for foreign nationals (link)
- The Guardian – report on reinforced security around the fan zone at the Zócalo and protests in Mexico City ahead of the tournament opening (link)
- U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico – security information for travelers to the 2026 World Cup in Mexico (link)
- Amnesty International – report on human rights risks connected with the 2026 World Cup and warning about militarized security in Mexico (link)
- Security Cabinet of the Government of Mexico – official description of the national security strategy and its main pillars (link)