Mexico entered into a new wave of tensions and protests a few days before the start of the tournament World Cup 2026After promotional events for the tournament in the capital, Mexico City, turned into an arena of anger for striking teachers, who targeted huge World Cup models and set them on fire in the streets.
Angry protests ignite the streets of Mexico City
The British newspaper “The Sun” reported that the Mexican capital witnessed unusual scenes, after members of the National Teachers Union (CNTE) stormed an exhibition dedicated to promoting the World Cup, which included giant statues of football players wearing Mexican national team jerseys. The protesters brought down the huge figures and stripped them of their clothes before setting them on fire. They also burned symbolic footballs and closed a number of main roads and axes in the city.
These movements come as part of an ongoing protest campaign led by the union for weeks, demanding an increase in wages and the cancellation of some reforms related to the retirement system, amid accusations that the government is not responding to the demands of workers in the education sector.
The protesters chanted slogans rejecting hosting the global event without addressing the outstanding social and economic issues, stressing that they are ready to escalate their movements during the tournament period if satisfactory solutions are not reached.
Teachers’ protests raise concern ahead of tournament
The protests complicated the political scene inside the country, as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was forced to convert a meeting that was scheduled to be held with union representatives into a virtual meeting via the Internet, after the meeting headquarters was unable to be reached as a result of the demonstrations.
The past few days also witnessed tense confrontations between protesters and security forces near the famous central square in the capital, amid an exchange of accusations regarding the use of force to disperse gatherings. Union leaders confirmed that a number of participants were injured during the events, while the authorities denied some of the accusations against them.
For his part, union leaders criticized what they described as ignoring workers’ rights in favor of commercial interests associated with organizing the World Cup, considering that the global sporting event should not be at the expense of the social demands of employees and teachers.
On the other hand, the Mexican government confirmed its continuation of dialogue with the protesters, indicating that it is working to study implementable demands according to the available financial capabilities, while acknowledging that some demands may be difficult to fully meet due to restrictions associated with the general budget.
.jpg "Massive chaos in Mexico before the World Cup (2)")
Total chaos in Mexico before the World Cup
.jpg "Massive chaos in Mexico before the World Cup (3)")
Total chaos in Mexico before the World Cup
.jpg "Massive chaos in Mexico before the World Cup (4)")
Total chaos in Mexico before the World Cup
.jpg "Massive chaos in Mexico before the World Cup (5)")
Total chaos in Mexico before the World Cup
.jpg "Massive chaos in Mexico before the World Cup (6)")
Total chaos in Mexico before the World Cup
.jpg "Massive chaos in Mexico before the World Cup (1)")
Total chaos in Mexico before the World Cup
