World Cup
Protests and last-minute construction work disrupt Mexico City ahead of World Cup
Eight days before Mexico City kicks off the World Cup, mass protests by teachers and retired judges, road closures and last-minute construction work caused chaos in the capital on Wednesday for millions of residents who face long delays and complex rerouting of their daily commutes.
On June 11, Mexico City will host the inaugural World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa at Azteca Stadium in the capital.
With Mexico in the global spotlight, teachers and other groups have staged marches and blocked major avenues. They have said their protests, which are unrelated to the tournament, could intensify unless President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government addresses their demands.
The CNTE, a dissident wing of the national teachers’ union, has threatened mass demonstrations at the opening of the World Cup in official statements shared on social media.
The union is demanding the government fulfil a campaign pledge to repeal a 2007 law that overhauled the pension and social security system for public-sector workers, as well as salary increases.
“The current government made a campaign commitment — both the government of (former President) Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and President Sheinbaum’s — they said they had that commitment to teachers to strike down that reform … but it never happened,” Rodrigo Arias, a schoolteacher from the southern state of Oaxaca with 40 years of classroom experience, said.
“There is neglect. There is a policy of managing timelines, of making commitments that are never truly kept. We will keep mobilising until we are heard — even with the World Cup on the horizon,” added Arias, outside the Interior Ministry, where the CNTE was holding a protest while its leaders met with authorities in the hope of reaching agreements.
The protests are concentrated on Insurgentes and Paseo de la Reforma, two of the capital’s busiest and most emblematic boulevards. Elsewhere in the capital, teachers were also blocking roads, generating traffic gridlock and frustrating commuters.
On Tuesday, protesters toppled towering statues of football players on Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma.
Arias said those responsible were not members of the union and that the CNTE was not seeking to destroy property or provoke confrontation. Nevertheless, several businesses along the avenue had erected metal and wooden barriers by Wednesday to protect themselves.
Sheinbaum said at her daily morning press conference that she would not be baited into provocations or order a crackdown on the demonstrations.
In downtown Mexico City, retired judges and magistrates were also protesting, demanding severance pay and pensions following a sweeping 2024 judicial reform that restructured the country’s justice system.
“The traffic is really affecting us; we’re losing too much time,” lamented Armando Escobedo, a delivery driver, as he took a detour around street closures. “You have to be empathetic with the teachers, but they do hurt us at work,” he added.
Mexico will host 13 World Cup matches: five in the capital and four each in the cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey. Mexico City has undergone several infrastructure projects ahead of the world’s biggest sporting event.
However, renovations at the Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, the country’s largest and busiest airport, and repairs to the capital’s metro system and main avenues have yet to be completed. On Tuesday, a metal structure from a pedestrian bridge at the airport collapsed, injuring a motorist.
-Reuters
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Global music superstar Shakira will headline the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Mexico City, FIFA announced on Friday, with the Colombian singer set to perform the tournament’s official song, “Dai Dai.”
The opening ceremony will take place at Estadio Azteca on Thursday, 90 minutes before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.
Shakira will be joined on stage by Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy, one of the featured artists on “Dai Dai,” the official anthem of the tournament. The title is derived from an Italian phrase meaning “let’s go” or “come on,” capturing the spirit and excitement of football’s biggest event.
The star-studded show will also feature performances from fellow Colombian artist J Balvin and South African sensation Tyla, underscoring FIFA’s effort to showcase musical talent from across the globe.
The announcement adds another milestone to Shakira’s long association with the FIFA World Cup. The singer famously performed the 2010 World Cup anthem “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” which became one of the most successful football songs of all time.
FIFA also confirmed that Shakira will feature prominently later in the tournament, having been selected to perform at the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show. The historic event is scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium, marking a new entertainme26,nt dimension for the world’s biggest sporting event.
The FIFA World Cup 20 jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, will be the largest edition of the tournament, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches. Organisers expect the opening ceremony to set the tone for a month-long celebration of football, music and culture across North America.
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Soccer fans looking to bring the party to World Cup games will have to go without vuvuzelas, with FIFA banning the plastic horns from venues in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in its stadium code of conduct.
Vuvuzelas, a horn made with a long plastic shell, are a staple of South African soccer matches and took the world by storm at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. But they have drawn criticism over their monotonous droning sound, often likened to a swarm of bees
Along with vuvuzelas, whistles, air horns and other excessively loud noise-making devices are prohibited from all 16 World Cup venues, according to FIFA’s stadium code of conduct.
Instruments that emit laser beams, laser pointers or similar emissions are also banned.
The list of prohibited items and behaviours goes on to state that body paint and body tattoos do not constitute clothing. Streaking, flashing or removing clothing to reveal intimate body parts is also prohibited.
FIFA has also banned spectators from bringing reusable water bottles into venues, citing safety concerns.
Attendees who violate the rules can be refused entry or removed from the stadium, the code says.
The expanded 48-team World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, runs from June 11 to July 19. Mexico will open the tournament against South Africa on June 11.
-Reuters
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France brushed aside concerns after suffering a surprise 2-1 defeat by Côte d’Ivoire in a World Cup warm-up match on Thursday, insisting the setback would serve as a useful reminder rather than a cause for alarm ahead of the tournament.
Didier Deschamps’ side led through a superb first-half goal from Rayan Cherki but were overrun after the break as Guela Doue and Amad Diallo turned the game around for the Elephants in Nantes.
With France opening their World Cup campaign against Senegal in New York on June 16, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said the result should be viewed in the context of preparations rather than as a warning sign.
“It’s a pity to lose but we’re in a preparation phase; we stay confident,” Tchouameni said.
“There is no conclusion to draw from this game, even if we had won it. We will be ready.”
France fielded an experimental side, with several Paris Saint-Germain players rested after last weekend’s Champions League final triumph, and made numerous changes after halftime.
Defender Lucas Hernandez also played down the significance of the defeat.
“We always want to win, but we’re in a phase of preparation, and there were a lot of substitutions,” Hernandez said.
“We’re in good spirits.”
Deschamps, however, admitted his side had lost control of the contest after an encouraging opening 45 minutes and warned that France would face opponents with similar qualities in the United States.
“A defeat is never pleasant, even if we did some good things in the first half,” Deschamps said.
“In the second half, we made a lot of changes, but that’s no excuse. We were not as good after the break, and they brought a lot of pace.
“We will face the same type of team on June 16.”
The French coach said the result could prove useful if it prevented his players from becoming complacent before the tournament.
“It’s a reminder, if we needed one, not to think we’re better than we are,” he said, with Cherki adding: “It’s a little warning, and I can tell you we’re not going to the World Cup thinking we’re favourites, but we’re going to crush everyone.”
-Reuters
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