Just over three months ahead of the opening match of the FIFA men’s World Cup in Mexico City, Mexican officials met with FIFA representatives on Wednesday to discuss the security arrangements for the quadrennial tournament.
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch announced on social media that federal authorities and authorities from the three Mexican entities that will host World Cup matches — Mexico City, Jalisco and Nuevo León — met with FIFA representatives to “coordinate the security actions” for the tournament, which Mexico will co-host with the United States and Canada.
Junto con mis compañeros del Gabinete de Seguridad, nos reunimos con personal de @FIFAWorldCup para coordinar las acciones que permitan a los visitantes y al pueblo de #México disfrutar del #MundialFIFA2026. 🇲🇽⚽️ @Claudiashein @OHarfuch @Defensamx1 @AlmiranteSrio @GabyCuevas… pic.twitter.com/3IuAgIi3Ew
— Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez (@rosaicela_) March 4, 2026
He said that the meeting, which took place at the Security Ministry headquarters in Mexico City, was held on the instructions of President Claudia Sheinbaum. García Harfuch, Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez, Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla, Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente and the government’s World Cup coordinator Gabriela Cuevas were among the federal officials in attendance. The FIFA representatives included the organization’s chief tournament officer in Mexico, Jurgen Mainka.
A total of 13 World Cup matches will be played in Mexico at stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Mexico and South Africa will play the opening match of the tournament at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on June 11. Up to 5 million World Cup tourists are expected to visit Mexico during the 5-week tournament.
At Wednesday’s meeting, García Harfuch said that Mexican officials and FIFA representatives reviewed “the intelligence, prevention, and operational deployment protocols that will be implemented during this international event.”
Security guarantees
On Feb. 24 — two days after the violent cartel response to the killing of Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera in a military operation in Jalisco — a reporter asked Sheinbaum whether there are security guarantees that will allow FIFA World Cup matches to be played in Guadalajara later this year.
“All of them. All guarantees, all guarantees,” the president responded.
Asked whether there was any risk for World Cup tourists, she replied: “No risk, none.”
The federal government conveyed a similar message after Wednesday’s meeting with FIFA representatives.
According to a statement issued by Mexico’s Security Ministry (SSPC), García Harfuch said that “coordination” between federal authorities and the authorities in Mexico City, Jalisco and Nuevo León will allow “security conditions” to be guaranteed for Mexicans and international visitors during the World Cup.
According to the SSPC, Trevilla said that an “unprecedented” security strategy based on “inter-institutional coordination” is being developed for the tournament, while Rodríguez “reiterated the commitment of the government of Mexico to work in coordination with FIFA to guarantee the stay of visitors during the event, through the streamlining of visa processes, permits and immigration control.”
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The meeting in Mexico City came a week after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that the organization he leads has “full trust in the authorities in Mexico” and “full confidence” that the country will be a successful World Cup host. Those remarks came just three days after fiery narco-blockades appeared in states across the country and Jalisco New Generation Cartel members set banks and OXXO stores on fire and engaged in gunfights with National Guard officers.
“Mexico is a football country, and the Mexicans, the authorities but also the people, will do everything they can to ensure that the World Cup and the playoffs [in Guadalajara and Monterrey this month] … will be a celebration of football,” Infantino said.
On Wednesday, FIFA representatives “expressed their appreciation for the coordinated work of the various departments of the Government of Mexico in organizing the World Cup, particularly regarding security at the venues where the matches will be held,” the SSPC said.
According to the Security Ministry statement, they also “reiterated their confidence in the progress of the preparatory actions” ahead of the FIFA men’s World Cup in Mexico, which will become the first country to host the event three times.
Mexico News Daily
