From wellness retreats to colonial streets, the country garnered numerous accolades in one of the most influential rankings in the tourism industry, compiled from the opinions of thousands of the magazine’s readers.
Here are notable Mexican properties and destinations that made the list.
Best wellness retreat
Rancho La Puerta topped the list as the best wellness retreat in the world thanks to its holistic approach. Located in a lush valley in Tecate, Baja California, it combines thousands of acres of natural surroundings with mountain trails, landscaped gardens and an organic farm offering healthy cooking classes.
100 best hotels in the world
Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, in Jalisco’s coastal Costalegre region, ranked as the No. 1 resort in Mexico and No. 31 in the world thanks to the hotel’s personalized service, the quality of its culinary offerings and balance between exclusivity and sustainability.
Next is Susurros del Corazón, Auberge Collection, which came in as Mexico’s second-best resort and No. 37 in the world. Located in Punta Mita, the resort offers an intimate and sophisticated experience featuring contemporary architecture inspired by the Pacific landscape.
Coming in at No. 3 is Zadun Los Cabos, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, the brand’s first resort of this collection in Mexico. With an architecture that blurs the lines between indoors and outdoors, the property blends Mexican artisanal details with modern designs to offer guests an immersive and exclusive experience.
Moving to city hotels, Casa de Sierra Nevada, a Belmond Hotel, San Miguel de Allende, came in as Mexico’s No. 1 city hotel and No. 96 in the world. With 37 rooms spread across six colonial properties, this luxury boutique hotel stands out for its remarkable service and the exquisite way it blends history and modernity. Rosewood San Miguel de Allende also made the list of Mexico’s best city hotels, followed by Alexander in Mexico City, Four Seasons Mexico City and JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City Polanco.
4 Mexican cities among the top 15 in the world
Topping the list of the best cities in the world is once again San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, a city that continuously appears in the world’s most coveted rankings thanks to its colonial appeal, gastronomic offering and rich cultural heritage.
San Miguel de Allende has repeatedly won Best City in the World from Travel + Leisure, among other accolades. (Travis Bembenek)
Coming in at No. 5 is the city of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, popular among readers for its rich cuisine, colorful festivals, artisanal markets and colonial architecture.
Next is Mexico City, which came in at No. 9 for its museums, cultural experiences, top-rated hotels and dynamic food scene.
Finally, coming in at No. 15 is Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico’s second-largest city, known for its contribution to Mexican culture – think mariachi, tequila and charrería – historical architecture and growing creative scene.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), whose representative is pictured here (R), the purpose of Parmelin's visit is to deepen economic and trade ties between Mexico and Switzerland. (@SRE_mx/X)
President Claudia Sheinbaum will meet on Wednesday with Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who arrived in Mexico on Monday.
At her morning press conference on Tuesday, Sheinbaum noted that Parmelin, whose formal title is president of the Swiss Confederation, would come to the National Palace on Wednesday.
📸 Esta tarde, el secretario Roberto Velasco (@r_velascoa) dio la bienvenida a nuestro país, al presidente de la Confederación Suiza, Guy Parmelin (@ParmelinG) y a su esposa, Caroline Merotto. El mandatario suizo realiza una visita oficial a México para reunirse con la presidenta… pic.twitter.com/hXrHygd9AG
“We’re going to welcome him and later he’s coming [back] with a group of businesspeople who we are also going to welcome,” she said.
Switzerland is not part of the European Union (EU) and is therefore not a party to the new Mexico-EU trade agreement that was signed in Mexico City in May. However, it is a signatory to the trade agreement between Mexico and the European Free Trade Association, an intergovernmental organization made up of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Trade between Mexico and Switzerland was worth US $4.27 billion in 2025, according to the national statistics agency INEGI. Mexico’s imports from Switzerland were worth $2.44 billion, while its exports to the European republic were worth $1.83 billion. In 2024, Mexico’s largest export to Switzerland was gold, while its largest import from the country was medications.
According to a social media post by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) on Monday, the purpose of Parmelin’s visit is to deepen economic and trade ties between Mexico and Switzerland.
“This afternoon, the [Foreign] Minister Roberto Velasco welcomed the president of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, and his wife, Caroline Merotto, to our country. The Swiss leader is carrying out an official visit to Mexico to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday to continue deepening the economic and trade ties between our nations,” the SRE wrote on X.
Parmelin — who began a one-year term on Jan. 1 after previously serving as Swiss president in 2021 — and his wife flew into the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, located north of Mexico City in México state.
The Swiss Embassy in Mexico also took to social media to acknowledge Parmelin’s arrival in Mexico for a state visit.
In a post to X, the embassy said that 80 years of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Switzerland, reached in 2025, is a “milestone that reflects decades of commitment to mutual prosperity.”
Sheinbaum noted that Ken Salazar, who was the U.S. ambassador in Mexico between late 2021 and early 2025, publicly said that no U.S. agency was involved in the operation to capture Zambada. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
✈️ Contradictions in US remarks on Zambada capture: Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez laid out a timeline of the 2024 capture of “El Mayo” Zambada, noting the plane used to fly him to the U.S. is now displayed at a New Mexico museum where the FBI reportedly claims credit for the operation — directly contradicting former US Ambassador Ken Salazar’s 2024 assertion that no U.S. agency was involved.
❓ “Who lied?”: Sheinbaum repeatedly questioned whether Salazar lied to the Mexican government, saying that if a U.S. agency did participate in the “El Mayo” operation, it would have violated international treaties and the Mexican Constitution.
🤝 Suggestions of a US pact with organized crime: Sheinbaum and Rodríguez suggested the U.S. made agreements with organized crime members — namely Joaquín Guzmán López — to facilitate Zambada’s capture. As for the Mexican government, Sheinbaum declared, “We’re never going to make agreements with any organized crime group.”
📄 FGR to seek FBI info: Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Velasco said the Foreign Affairs Ministry has asked the FGR to request more information from the FBI, while Sheinbaum said she’s also asking the FGR to report on its investigations into Zambada’s arrest under former attorney general Alejandro Gertz Manero.
Why today’s mañanera matters
The main focus of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference was the 2024 arrest in the United States of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, admitted in a U.S. court late last year that he orchestrated the July 2024 kidnapping of Zambada, who was forced onto a plane and flown to an airport in New Mexico, where he was arrested by U.S. authorities. Guzmán López flew to the United States on the same plane and was also taken into custody.
Sheinbaum reiterated on Tuesday the four pillars of Mexico’s relationship with the United States: 1. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; 2. Shared and divided responsibility; 3. Mutual respect and trust; 4. Cooperation without subordination. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro/Presidencia)
Mexican authorities have long suspected that the U.S. government collaborated with Guzmán López on the capture of Zambada, although the U.S. Embassy in Mexico has denied that was the case.
In late June, Sheinbaum noted that the previous Mexican government led by ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asked U.S. authorities to explain how the arrest of Zambada came about, although it never received a clear response.
Today’s mañanera was significant as the federal government accused U.S. authorities of presenting “contradictory” versions of events about the circumstances of Zambada’s arrest. It was also important because the government revealed that Mexican authorities will seek information about the arrest directly from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which was involved in the operation to capture Zambada, according to journalist Luis Chaparro and his media outlet/YouTube channel Pie de Nota.
The Sheinbaum administration has taken note of Chaparro’s reporting, which has given Mexican authorities additional impetus to determine exactly how Zambada came to be detained at a small New Mexico airport almost two years ago.
If it is confirmed that the FBI and/or other U.S. agencies were involved in an operation to capture Zambada, the Mexican government would consider that another violation of Mexican sovereignty by the United States.
Rodríguez accuses US of presenting ‘contradictory’ versions of events regarding the capture of Zambada
At the start of Sheinbaum’s mañanera, Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez presented a chronology of events related to the capture of Zambada in July 2024. Here is the information she presented.
Ovidio Guzmán, one of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons and a leader of the “Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested in Culiacán on Jan. 5, 2023. Ten soldiers were killed during the operation.
On July 25, 2024, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico announced a change in the “preventive measure” (i.e. custodial status) of Ovidio Guzmán “without consulting the government of Mexico, which violates the [bilateral] extradition treaty.” (Mexico’s Attorney General Office said in July 24 that Guzmán was released from high-security prison two day’s before Zambada’s arrest, but then U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar asserted at the time that Guzmán was still in U.S. custody.) Also on July 25, 2024, Joaquín Guzmán López, another leader of the “Chapitos,” and Zambada were detained by U.S. authorities after flying into the Doña Ana County International Jetport near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The plane’s transponder was only turned on “five minutes before landing.”
On July 31, 2024, the Mexican government requested information from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico “about the participation of U.S. agencies” in the arrest of Zambada.
On Aug. 9, 2024, then U.S. Ambassador Salazar “publicly reported that no U.S. agency participated in the operation.”
On July 2, 2026, “a report in the media outlet Pie de Nota informs that the light aircraft that was used [to fly Zambada to the U.S.] is part of an exhibition of war planes in which the FBI presents it as part of an operation of that agency.”
“Why is it important? Why is this important?” Rodríguez said.
“The versions [of events] are contradictory,” she said, referring to Salazar’s remarks and the FBI’s apparent admission that it played a role in the operation to capture Zambada.
“Someone lied,” Rodríguez said.
If it is confirmed that the FBI was involved in the operation to capture Zambada “without informing the Mexican government,” there was a violation of the UN Charter, of the Charter of the Organization of American States, of the Mexican Constitution and of the National Security Law, she said.
Rodríguez subsequently suggested that the U.S. government had entered into “agreements with organized crime” — i.e., Joaquín Guzmán López — to facilitate the arrest of Zambada.
Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asserted that the United States carried out the “operation” that resulted in the arrest of Zambada in the United States. With his use of the word “operation,” he apparently meant a negotiation with Guzmán López that he believed resulted in the delivery of Zambada to U.S. law enforcement authorities at the Doña County airport on July 25, 2024.
Velasco: FGR to seek information from the FBI
Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Velasco told reporters that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Federal Attorney General’s Office to request “greater information” from the FBI “about this [alleged U.S.] involvement that was reported in the media.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Velasco told reporters that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Federal Attorney General’s Office to request “greater information” from the FBI. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro/Presidencia)
“We have also been in contact with the U.S. ambassador in Mexico about this issue,” Velasco said, adding that the U.S. Embassy has already provided some information about how the plane that flew Zambada to the U.S. was “loaned” to a museum in El Paso. The museum he was referring to is the War Eagles Museum, located at the Doña Ana County International Jetport, which is about 27 kilometers northwest of El Paso, Texas.
Sheinbaum: ‘Did Ambassador Ken Salazar lie?
Sheinbaum noted that Salazar, who was the U.S. ambassador in Mexico between late 2021 and early 2025, publicly said that no U.S. agency was involved in the operation to capture Zambada.
“However, in recent days we found out via a media report that the plane in which these two people, organized crime members, arrived [in the United States] is on display at a … [museum] where the FBI claims this operation,” she said.
“So, based on that, the question is, who’s lying? Who lied? Did Ambassador Ken Salazar lie?” Sheinbaum asked.
“Why is it important? Firstly, because he [allegedly] lied as ambassador, and secondly, if one of the U.S. agencies participated in this operation, it would have violated international treaties and the Constitution of the United Mexican States,” she said.
Sheinbaum also suggested that the United States had made a pact with “members of organized crime.”
After noting that members of the extended family of Ovidio Guzmán (and El Chapo) were received by U.S. authorities at the border last year, she asked: “Who makes agreements with members of organized crime?”
Sheinbaum subsequently said that her government doesn’t make such agreements, adding to her insinuation that the U.S. government does.
“We’re never going to make agreements with any organized crime group,” she said.
Sheinbaum noted that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has asked the FGR to seek information directly from the FBI. She also said that the government is asking the FGR to report “today or tomorrow” on the investigations into Zambada’s arrest that it carried out while Alejandro Gertz Manero was attorney general. Gertz Manero resigned as attorney general late last year and is now Mexico’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Sheinbaum also said that her government has asked the FGR to report on what ongoing investigations it is carrying out related to the capture of Zambada.
“This is very important,” she said.
“And again [I ask] who lied, or who is lying? Did Ambassador Ken Salazar lie?” Sheinbaum added.
Later in the press conference, she said that all ambassadors have diplomatic immunity, which could protect Salazar from any legal consequences if he indeed made false remarks. However, Sheinbaum stressed that it is nevertheless “very significant” if a U.S. ambassador lies to the government of Mexico.
“If he lied, he’s not just lying to the government of Mexico, he’s also lying to who he is representing,” she said.
“… You can’t lie to the government of Mexico, just as we don’t lie to the U.S. government,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
The México Te Abraza
program provides deported Mexicans with cash, temporary shelter, job assistance and what many say they want most — respect and decent treatment. (Estado de México/Facebook)
Reacting to draconian immigration policies enacted when Donald Trump began his second term as U.S. president, President Claudia Sheinbaum launched the “Mexico Embraces You” program (“México te abraza”) to support deported citizens with financial assistance, medical care, documents and temporary housing.
Now, however, as fewer Mexicans are being deported and returned home, the government has closed several of the shelters, but not all. “Some were [closed], and most were made smaller, but they remain ready to receive those who arrive,” Sheinbaum said last week, adding that facilities continue to operate at key locations, especially for those arriving by land.
President Sheinbaum said Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez is reviewing the Mexico Embraces You program to make sure that it continues to operate, even if in a reduced capacity, and that its funds are distributed efficiently. (Rosa Icela Rodríguez/Facebook)
Sheinbaum said the program is currently focused on southern cities such as Villahermosa, Tabasco, and Tapachula, Chiapas, where the largest number of deported Mexicans have been received. There is also a well-staffed shelter at Mexico City’s Felipe Ángeles International Airport, which is still receiving repatriation flights from the United States.
“They are welcomed home, supported and given a Paisano card (a 2,000-peso debit card, or roughly US $115) which provides resources allowing them to travel to their destinations,” she said. “We inform them of all the support available, including access to employment.”
Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said the government is constantly reviewing the network of shelters to ensure that resources are allocated efficiently. Sheinbaum said Rodríguez will supply details about which shelters had been closed and how funds were being distributed.
Returning migrants interviewed by the Conexión Migrante media outlet said that even though the support is limited, they appreciate the fact that the government is making an effort to assist them.
What returnees want more than anything else, most said, is to be treated with respect.
“We don’t want special treatment, just respect and patience,” one of them told Conexión Migrante.
Many of those repatriated have spent months in detention centers in the United States, the interviewed returnee said, and yet, upon returning, they face bureaucracy, mistreatment and offensive remarks.
The lack of respect he described includes criticism of children who have lived most or all of their lives in the United States and don’t speak Spanish.
¿Y si sí? flipped the narrative on Mexico's chances of a successful World Cup run. Other causes — from social to political to environmental — have taken note. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
¿Y si sí?
This three-word question — literally translated as “And if yes?” — became a national motto for hopeful Mexican soccer fans during El Tri’s World Cup run to the round of 16.
What if Mexico can beat England at Estadio Azteca and advance to the World Cup quarterfinals for just the third time ever? What if El Tri can continue winning and make it all the way to the final? What if Mexico can do the unthinkable and hold the World Cup aloft at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19?
Unfortunately for Mexican fans, Mexico’s 2026 World Cup dream is now over after El Tri lost 3-2 to the Three Lions on Sunday night in a nail-biting match. However, the motto, the question, the collective hope encompassed in ¿Y si sí? will live on in the national psyche and serve as a reminder of a time when a nation as a whole dared to dream.
Those three words will also live on in other ways as they are no longer just about a nation’s World Cup dream. They have been repurposed — converted into a pithy expression of desire for a better Mexico, a country where the most pressing problems are addressed in a meaningful way.
‘Why should hope be confined solely to a soccer field?’
“The enthusiasm that today unites millions of Mexicans around soccer can become an opportunity to ask ourselves if we are also capable of believing in a reconciled, fairer and deeply humane country,” the editorial says in its subheading.
In the body of the text, the Desde la Fe editorial team (hereafter referred to as the Archdiocese of Mexico) writes that “¿Y si sí?” is a phrase that has managed to summarize “the spirit of an entire country.”
“… This tiny question reveals our ability to keep believing when the odds seem stacked against us. It reminds us that hope always finds a way, even when logic invites pessimism,” the Archdiocese of Mexico says.
“In this situation, it’s worth asking ourselves: Why should that hope be confined solely to a soccer field?”
The Archdiocese of Mexico subsequently notes that Mexicans frequently say that “Mexico will never change” and that “we’ve become accustomed to thinking that certain problems are permanent” — that “violence is here to stay,” that “families will continue breaking up,” that “human dignity will always have a price.”
“Why are we able to believe that we can win a World Cup, but not that we can rebuild our country? What would happen if we applied that same conviction to the challenges that truly shape the life of our country?” the editorial asks.
“What if we could actually reduce the violence that has caused so much pain in our communities? What if we could actually find ways to ensure that fewer and fewer people go missing and more families find peace again?”
After asking various other “What if?” (¿Y si sí?) questions, the Archdiocese of Mexico asserts that “an authentic renewal” of national life only occurs “when we cease asking only what others can do and start asking what we can do ourselves.”
“We won’t solve the crisis our country is facing on our own, but we can become people who care for others, listen to them, stand by them, and defend life wherever we are,” the editorial states.
“Our country’s greatest challenges will continue waiting for people who are capable of believing that change is possible. We therefore invite all of society to ensure that the phrase ‘¿Y si sí?‘ does not remain merely a cheer at a soccer game, but rather becomes a way of looking at life.”
— Margarita Nava 🔥🌊❤️💪🏾🎨💜💚🇯🇴🇺🇦🤖 (@MagosNava) June 30, 2026
The relatives of los desaparecidos, who have long called on Mexican authorities to do more to locate their missing loved ones, also posed the question: “¿Y si sí los encuentran?” (And what if they actually find them?).
In this context, the news outlet Animal Político reported, the question was chanted in reference to “the demands for truth and justice” in missing persons cases, demands that have been made in protests in Mexico for decades, including during the World Cup, where 13 matches were played in Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara — the capital of a state that is the epicenter of Mexico’s disappearances crisis.
In blunter terms, the protesters in Mexico City on Sunday directed this message to Mexican authorities: “Do your work, find our missing loved ones and search for the culprits.”
While the federal government has succeeded in significantly reducing Mexico’s homicide rate, per the government’s own statistics, addressing the missing persons problem remains a major challenge for Sheinbaum. Making meaningful headway on the issue — by locating missing people, identifying the large number of remains in morgues, reducing the incidence of abductions and solving high-profile cases such as that involving the 43 Ayotzinapa Rural Teaching College students — would be a laudable achievement for the Sheinbaum administration.
The pressure to do so, including through the use of variations of the ¿Y si sí? question — a question that was an expression of hope, but which has now been rendered as something of a rallying cry — will not go away.
Even in defeat, Mexico has plenty of reasons to be proud of their achievements at the 2026 World Cup. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)
In 1994, I was a seven-year-old watching the World Cup with my dad and older brother. It’s my earliest memory of having soccer fever — and ever since, I’ve watched every World Cup as a Mexican American cheering for Mexico’s national team.
That year, Mexico faced Italy, the Republic of Ireland and Norway in a “Group of Death” group phase. Every team had won, lost, and drawn against each other, making it the only time in World Cup history in which every team had the exact same record, and cumulative number of group points. Mexico, on aggregate goal results, advanced as the first-place team.
🌍⚽ Throwback to the 1994 World Cup: Presenting the Mexico Squad! 🇲🇽⚽
Hello Football Time Capsule followers! Today, we’re taking a nostalgic trip back to the 1994 World Cup in the USA, highlighting the spirited and talented Mexico squad that made waves in the tournament. 🇲🇽🏆… pic.twitter.com/smCYchPRwI
— Football Time Capsule (@TimeCapsule30) June 14, 2024
And then, El Tri faced an upstart, unlikely Bulgarian team in the dreaded round of 16. With the score tied 1-1, they went on to lose against Bulgaria in arguably the most heartbreaking fashion known in professional sports: penalty kicks. Three Mexican players missed their shots, and Bulgaria moved on. (Bulgaria then defeated defending world champions, Germany, and finished the tournament in fourth place that year, marking their best ever World Cup performance).
Mexico, meanwhile, descended into a purgatory of World Cup disappointment — and despite this year’s epic efforts, they have yet to provide a better result in the past 32 years.
Dating back to 1986 when Mexico last hosted the World Cup — and prior to my birth — Mexico has consistently failed to advance past the “cursed” round of 16. Year in and year out, the team shows glimmers of promise, builds momentum going into a World Cup, and then — without fail — unravels in the most intense, unthinkable ways amid their biggest opponents. It’s an ongoing joke among Mexico’s supporters that each time will be different (while simultaneously admitting that it won’t). This World Cup’s “¿y si sí?” craze reflected that self-deprecatory fandom — which embodies Mexico’s playful and humorous spirit, roughly translated into a “we know we won’t actually win…. but what if we do?” chant.
Agonizing defeats in my lifetime have included a loss against Germany in 1998 (a closely played 2-1 final); against their rival United States in 2002 (held to a shutout against the U.S.); against Argentina, back to back, in both 2006 and 2010 (Mexico fumbled a lead against the Argentines in 2006, ended by an incredible last-minute blast from Maxi Rodriguez in extra time); against the Netherlands in 2014 (arguably the toughest loss in Mexico’s recent history, which will forever be remembered as the “no era penal” controversy, in which Mexico again lost their lead in dramatic fashion); and against Brazil in 2018, held, again, to a shutout. In 2022, for the first time in their history, Mexico didn’t even advance out of the group stage, making it the worst of them all.
That brings us to 2026. Mexico, as a World Cup co-host, went into the tournament with middling expectations, as many of the team’s most internationally renowned players were struggling to find their footing; the past few years of play had been far from Mexico’s best. Still, under the vision of Mexican coach Javier Aguirre, who has coached Mexico on and off since 2001, and who I vividly remember from my youth, Mexico was able to assemble an unlikely cast of national heroes, built on the likes of Julian Quiñones, young, future stars like Gilberto Mora and Brian Gutierrez, and veteran mainstays such as Raul Jimenez. Unlike in years past, Aguirre crafted a team of cohesion and balance, rather than big-name divas (his decision to keep Mexico’s biggest stars, including Santiago Jiménez, Edson Álvarez and Alexis Vega, on the bench for the majority of the tournament was a sign of his prudent commitment to the greater good).
Mexico’s historic group-stage showcase this summer — having gone undefeated for the first time going back to their debut at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 — was memorable and certainly electrified the nation of loyal, longing fans. Along with Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa’s record-breaking, emotional final game against Czechia at Estadio Azteca in the third game of the opening round, Mexico gave its supporters plenty to rejoice and to remember in their first three matches. They went unbeaten and cruised into their round of 32 matchup against Ecuador. Prior to this year’s World Cup, which expanded its field of teams from 32 to 48, the round of 32 had never existed; this additional “knockout” phase was included to accommodate the greater number of teams in competition, making it unprecedented.
Ecuador severely underperformed in this World Cup, after entering as the second-highest-placing team in South American qualifying play, but stuttered its way to an underwhelming third place in the group stage.
El Tri celebrates after routing Czechia in its final group stage match, a memorable night that included a farewell tribute to retiring keeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartscuro)
Beating them in the round of 32 was a high for Mexican fans, but certainly didn’t break any curse, as it happened in a format that had never been seen up to this year’s World Cup. Instead, it extended Mexico’s usual comfort zone: games played before the deathly round of 16.
England, therefore, posed Mexico’s first genuine challenge. And like the past 32 years, they were unable to find a way forward in their toughest moment. Mexico played their hearts out and briefly gave England a scare. But their usual ways of committing costly errors — giving up the ball near midfield under a press and allowing the English to score within a minute of each other, thus nearly sealing their fate — yet again defined Mexico’s World Cup woes.
Ultimately, when the stakes are highest and the competition stiffest, Mexico inescapably squanders its opportunities and gives away goals. They lack creativity and playmaking and fall into a pattern of repetitive and desperate — if not panicked — play. In the second half, after England had been penalized with a red card in the 54th minute and lost a player for the rest of the match, Mexico could not find the back of the net, as England outwilled and out-positioned the Mexican attackers, who continued to send the ball into the box ad nauseam.
And yet, the Mexican squad fought, as they always do. And sometimes, that’s enough to give a nation hope when facing a traditional footballing power.
Being in Mexico for this World Cup was an out-of-body experience. I bused out from Veracruz to Mexico City to attend events during the World Cup’s opening events last month, bringing my son and wife along with me to wander the historic Zócalo, watch games and explore events and pop-ups drenched with global fanfare. From museum exhibits to Dr. Simi, street vendors to Michelin-starred chefs, the entire country was seemingly behind El Tri. And for just over four weeks, it felt euphoric and unifying to see everyone wearing their jerseys, while holding their breaths together, collectively and optimistically.
We spent an evening at Orca Cafe — a small, quirky retail shop and cafe in Roma Norte that is completely dedicated to soccer fandom, year-round. We enjoyed a special soccer exhibit at Papalote Museo del Niño in Parque Chapultepec, where swarms of children, including my son, discovered their love of the game together in a genuine, interactive way. We enjoyed an art gallery showing at GAMA and purchased art for our home, all of it inspired by Captain Tsubasa, a Japanese manga and anime from the 1980s that has become iconic in Mexico for its whimsical portrayal of soccer and the large dreams it can hold.
The Dramatic Final Minutes of Mexico vs England | beIN SPORTS USA
In the hours following Mexico’s tough but somewhat expected defeat against a top-ranked England, Mexico fans cheered throughout my neighborhood. They cheered not for the loss itself, of course, but for the pride of a country that always seems to be in the fight, and knows how to enjoy the fun and rigors of the journey, and not simply the destination.
Memes and video clips of Mexican fans celebrating each victory at el Ángel de la Independencia and beyond went viral. Foreigners proclaimed Mexico as a core lifetime experience, a nation they deemed welcoming and abundant with incredible food. Even Mexicans who don’t quite care for the sport itself clamored over Mexico’s performances on the pitch and thanked the team with heartfelt messages on social media about giving everyone something to rally behind.
That’s the power of the game, and of Mexico and its people: to believe, if only for 90 minutes, that it is always possible to win — even when winning remains at a historically unreachable distance.
Alan Chazaro is the author of “These Spaceships Weren’t Built For Us” (Tia Chucha Press, 2026), “Notes from the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge” (Ghost City Press, 2021), “Piñata Theory” (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), and “This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album” (Black Lawrence Press, 2019). He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and was selected as a Lawrence Ferlinghetti Poetry Fellow at the University of San Francisco. His work can be found in NPR, The Guardian, SLAM, GQ, L.A. Times and more. He is currently based in Veracruz.
Streptomyces rimosus is a soil bacteria known as a source for antibiotics, such as those in the tetracycline family. Its newest yield, manikomycin, works entirely differently than the others, opening up exciting new possibilities in fighting infection. (oregonstate.edu)
A team of international scientists, including Mexican researcher Nora Vázquez Laslop, has discovered an antibiotic whose mechanism of action could open new ways to fight bacterial resistance to medicines, according to new research published in the science journal Nature.
Vázquez, acting professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, helped identify the compound manikomycin from soil bacteria (Streptomyces rimosus), known for decades for producing other antibiotics such as terramycin and oxytetracycline, one of the antibiotics in the tetracycline family.
Nora Vázquez Laslop (third from right) and Alexander S. Mankin (far right) are co-directors of the Mankin and Vázquez Laslop Laboratory, engaged in studies of molecular mechanisms of protein synthesis. Seen here with their lab team, both are co-authors of the manikomycin study. (Mankin and Vazquez-Laslop Laboratory)
Classic antibiotics usually act on the ribosome – the cellular structure that manufactures the proteins that the bacteria need to live – but manikomycin attaches to an area of the ribosome that had not previously been identified as a target for antibacterial antibiotics.
“This new antibiotic is amazing because it targets a site of the ribosome that has never been targeted by any other molecule before,” Dmitrii Travin, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the Retzky College of Pharmacy and one of the lead authors of the paper, told UIC Today.
By attaching to that area, manikomycin blocks normal ribosome movement and prevents the bacterial cell from making proteins that are essential or its growth and survival.
“None of the antibiotics currently used in clinical practice bind to that site on the bacterial ribosome,” Vázquez told the newspaper La Jornada. “Therefore, pathogenic bacteria have no way to defend themselves; they don’t know how because it’s something new.”
Manikomycin is naturally produced by Streptomyces rimosus, which also produces geosmin, the compound responsible for the smell of damp earth. Found globally, this bacterium plays an important role in soil health.
Although Streptomyces rimosus has been studied for over 70 years, researchers found that it still harbored previously undescribed compounds with antimicrobial activity, confirming that widely studied microorganisms can still contain valuable molecules that had gone unnoticed.
“It’s as if all you see on your plate is a piece of meat, and that’s what you want to eat; but if you move it a little bit, you’ll see the caviar,” Vázquez explained. “Imagine that this new methodology has led to the discovery of caviar.”
Manikomycin derives from the word manik, used in Hindi and Punjabi to refer to a precious stone, alluding to the fact that the compound is produced in small quantities but with considerable scientific value.
Although manikomycin cannot yet be considered an antibiotic ready for clinical use, researchers hope this finding will help chemists create stable analogs of it.
Construction on the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant. (@conagua_mx/X)
Both the United States and Mexico are making progress on actions aimed at solving the Tijuana River sewage crisis, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Last December, Mexico and the U.S. signed an agreement intended to solve the border sanitation problem plaguing the San Diego and Tijuana metropolitan areas. The signing of Minute No. 333, as the agreement is called, targeted the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis that has long been a point of contention between the U.S. and Mexico.
On June 30, more than six months after Minute No. 333 was signed, the EPA published its second quarterly update for 2026 “detailing the implementation of two historic agreements signed with Mexico in 2025 to permanently end the years-long Tijuana River sewage crisis.”
The other agreement the EPA was referring to is a bilateral memorandum of understanding that was signed in July 2025 and which, together with Minute No. 333, seeks to permanently fix the problem of Mexican sewage flowing into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California after crossing the border via the Tijuana River. Mexico committed to allocating US $93 million to sewage system projects as part of the MOU.
In its second quarter update, the EPA said that the Trump Administration has been “working at a relentless pace to bring relief to the people of San Diego, who for decades have been inundated with sewage from Mexico via the Tijuana River Channel and the coast.”
“The decades-long crisis has closed beaches, polluted water, fouled the air, and caused hopelessness,” said the agency headed by Lee Zeldin.
“Since his first visit in April 2025, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has moved at ‘Trump Speed’ to identify, secure, and implement a 100% solution to permanently and urgently end the crisis, resulting in the signing of a Memorandum with Understanding (MOU) with Secretary of the Environment and National Resources of Mexico Alicia Bárcena Ibarra in Mexico City in July 2025,” the EPA said.
“Building on that momentum, the U.S. and Mexico agreed to Minute 333 in December 2025, which laid out a host of actions, including additional projects, research, and planning for operation and maintenance of critical systems to account for future population growth in Tijuana,” the agency said.
EPA: US and Mexico have taken ‘important actions to end the sewage crisis’
The EPA said that since it published its previous quarterly update in March, “the Trump Administration and Mexico have taken a number of important actions to end the sewage crisis.”
Over the last several years, more than 100 billion gallons of sewage and waste have reportedly run into the Tijuana River Valley. (@usibwc/X)
The agency highlighted that it released “previously agreed to Border Water Infrastructure Program (BWIP) funds to begin construction on Pump Station 1 (PB-1) [in Tijuana] and Tijuana River Gates projects.”
“Mexico is also advancing procurement and construction of critical sewer line and pump station rehabilitations,” the EPA said.
“Additionally, both the U.S. and Mexico have advanced progress on a suite of actions agreed to in Minute 333, including infrastructure projects, research studies, and planning for operation and maintenance (O&M) of critical sites and systems that will account for future population growth in Tijuana,” the EPA said.
The agency provided a number of specific details on actions taken, or being taken, to solve the cross-border sewage problem.
The EPA said that Mexico began construction of PB-1 on April 27, and that “this essential project” will “eliminate potential catastrophic discharges and increase total pumping capacity to 80 million gallons per day (MGD).” The project is slated for completion in November 2027.
The EPA also said that the Tijuana River Gates project “will eliminate at least 5 MGD of sewage from entering the Tijuana River.” The agency said that phase one of the project is expected to be completed by mid-July 2026, while phase 2 is currently in procurement and is expected to be finished at the end of January 2027.
The EPA said that the PB-1 and Tijuana River Gates projects “will help improve wastewater reliability, prevent spills, manage flow, reduce pollution, and lower the risk of flooding.”
In addition, the U.S. agency highlighted that since “surpassing its 2026 funding commitment, Mexico is advancing procurement and construction of critical sewer line and pump station rehabilitations, which will prevent sewage discharges into the Tijuana River.”
Among other “actions” related to Minute No. 33, the EPA noted that “Mexico completed the sediment basin at Matadero Canyon in May 2026, meeting the pre‑rainy‑season construction goal and reducing sediment and debris impacts,” and that “the Minute 333 Work Group is also advancing a scope of work for a transparent, real-time binational monitoring system to track flow inputs and outputs to the Tijuana River, strengthening accountability between both countries.”
The agency also said that “the binational O&M Workgroup continues developing long-term strategies to ensure critical infrastructure is maintained along the border,” and that “the binational Minute 333 Work Group reviewed existing engineering and financial feasibility studies for an ocean outfall at the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant” in Tijuana.
On the U.S. side of the border, there is “continued progress towards expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) to increase treatment capacity to 50 million gallons per day,” the EPA said.
Zeldin said in late June that “we’re continuing our relentless pace in ensuring that Mexico meets its funding commitments, that projects are being built on the tightest possible timelines, and that actions are being taken to plan for future population growth in the [Tijuana-San Diego] region.”
“Safeguarding human health and the environment is EPA’s foremost responsibility, and we are committed to ensuring that every American has clean air, land, and water,” the EPA administrator said.
Isaac del Toro crosses the finish line in Barcelona just ahead of teammate Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia (left) to become the first Mexican to win a stage in the Tour de France in over three and a half decades. (UAE Team Emirates/Facebook)
Isaac del Toro needed only two stages of his first Tour de France to ride into Mexican sports history.
The 22-year-old from Baja California surged clear on the final uphill run, then crossed the finish line in Barcelona arm in arm with UAE Emirates-XRG teammate Tadej Pogacar to win Stage 2 of the three-week race.
The 168.5-kilometer stage was held entirely in Spain, starting in the port city of Tarragona, hugging the Mediterranean coast and then turning inland toward the climbs above Barcelona.
Pogacar, four times a Tour de France champion, eased up in the final meters, effectively gifting the victory to his young teammate in a gesture that left Del Toro visibly stunned.
Del Toro became the first Mexican in 36 years to win a Tour stage, the first since Monterrey native Raúl Alcalá in 1989 and 1990.
The news service EFE called the triumph “prestigious” and Del Toro said it was “incredible.”
“This means everything to me,” he said. “I’m privileged to be on this team, which has trusted me from the very beginning. This is the fruit of the entire team’s work.”
The Ensenada native is widely regarded as one of the world’s premier young stage racers and has risen into the top three of the UCI world rankings behind only Pogacar of Slovenia and Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark.
He arrived at the Tour with 2026 victories in the UAE Tour (a weeklong race in the United Arab Emirates), the Tirreno-Adriatico (a seven-stage race across central Italy) and Tour Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes (an eight-stage race in southeastern France).
Last year, he exploded onto the scene with 16 wins across tour stages and one-day races — a surge that vaulted him from No. 57 to No. 3 in the UCI world rankings.
Following Sunday’s Stage 2, Del Toro was in fourth place in a race that spans 21 stages and is scheduled to end July 26 in Paris.
Felicidades a Isaac del Toro por su triunfo en la segunda etapa del Tour de Francia 2026 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) July 5, 2026
In Monday’s Stage 3, Pogacar struck back, winning a mountainous route to take the yellow jersey as the race’s overall leader on a time tiebreak over his main rival, Vingegaard.
Del Toro finished 10th to hold his fourth-place overall standing. The stage ran from Granollers, Spain, to Les Angles, France, with del Toro finishing 51 seconds behind Pogacar.
No Mexican has ever won the Tour de France, with Alcalá’s ninth-place finish in 1987 ranking as the best finish by a Mexican rider.
An investment of 2.2 billion pesos ($126.6 million) is funding six main projects across eastern Mexico City and the neighboring México state to improve drainage capacity in the metropolitan zone’s most flood-affected areas. The infrastructure is expected to be fully operational in approximately two weeks.
At President Sheinbaum’s July 6 press conference, Conagua Director Efraín Morales shared advances on six of more than 100 water projects planned for the eastern Mexico City metropolitan area this year. (Juan Carlos Ramos Mamahua/Presidencia
The municipalities expected to benefit most from the upgrades are Nezahualcóyotl, Los Reyes La Paz, Chalco and Valle de Chalco in México state, as well as the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa. The upgrades are expected to allow for the drainage of 23,000 liters per second.
“The projects that are already finished have been a great help during this rainy season,” said Morales. “They have helped us to drain the water much faster than in previous years.”
The upgrades come after two consecutive years of heavy June rainfall in the capital. Following historic flooding in June 2025, the Comprehensive Water Management Ministry (Segiagua) reported on June 30 that Mexico City received 241 millimeters (mm) of rain in June — well above the historical average of 126 mm for the month and surpassing the previous June 2025 record of 232 mm.
The government is also constructing a new collector to resolve the recurring flooding in Chalco and Valle de Chalco using microtunneling methods to minimize traffic disruptions. Approximately three kilometers are already in place, with the remaining 500 meters expected to be completed by October.
The collector will replace the existing temporary pumping equipment and will be operated entirely by gravity, according to Morales.
The water plan for eastern Mexico City and México state includes approximately 110 infrastructure projects this year. Additional drainage works still need to be carried out in certain areas facing recurring flooding issues due to ground subsidence, including Santa Martha, Peñón Viejo and along the Mexico-Texcoco highway, Morales acknowledged.
