- During the protests around the Aztec Stadium, explosive devices were confiscated from demonstrating teachers.
- Shortly before the World Cup opening ceremony, a splinter group from the CNTE teachers’ union blocked the main entrance to the stadium.
- Hundreds of police and national guards secure the area; President Sheinbaum calls the actions “provocation.”
The opening ceremony for the 2026 World Cup is scheduled to take place in Mexico City on Thursday. Reach shortly before the celebrations begin the riots on site a new dimension: entrances to the Aztec Stadium are blocked and further road closures are threatened. The activists are demanding better working conditions for teachers.
Hundreds of heavily armed police forces and the National Guard were recently found around the Aztec Stadium in the south of the city. A group from the teachers’ union CNTE recently blocked the main entrance to the opening ceremony venue. As part of the demonstrations, explosive devices were recently confiscated from the protesting teachers.
Harsh words from the President
President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the teachers’ sometimes violent protests as a “provocation” and assured that the game would “guarantee” take place. Two days before the match, activists are still camping in front of the sports town. Sheinbaum finds the action “inexplicable” and explains that it is as if the protesters wanted to say: “Look how bad the situation is in Mexico.”
It remains to be seen how the charged atmosphere could thwart the schedule on Thursday. Also how FIFA boss Gianni Infantino will react to this. It’s still a World Cup to his liking. A World Cup of superlatives with 48 teams and 104 games in three countries and the Aztec Stadium, where the 20th World Cup game kicked off with the Mexican game.
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