FIFA World Cup 2026: Mexico Deploys 100,000 Troops Amid Cartel Fears, Protests

The operation and waves of violence killed 70 people as cartel gunmen set fire to cars to block streets and fought with Mexican forces.

Amid the endless traffic, worsened by a teachers’ strike and associated street protests, women wander selling knock-off Mexico shirts.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has come under criticism over her government’s spending on the tournament, along with political scandals and security concerns following a burst of violence in a World Cup host city in February.

She, like many American residents of Ciudad Juárez, faces a dilemma at the start of the World Cup 2026 when Mexico plays South Africa: does she stay south of the border to watch the game amidst the fireworks and fiestas or head north to watch in an El Paso bar?