Mexico's World Cup host city under scrutiny as FIFA assesses insecurity ahead of 2026 tournament

T he climate of insecurity is not a new issue in Mexico , where it faces a very complicated situation in the face of the constant siege of drug trafficking in several rural communities and urban areas of the country. The chaotic situation on Mexican soil was known before June 13, 2018 , when FIFA decided to award the 2026 World Cup to the United States, Canada and Mexico under the name "United 2026" . However, five months before the start of the World Cup, one of the Mexican venues is in jeopardy .

In recent days, it was revealed that the businessman and president of Grupo Corona, Adrian Corona, was murdered in Guadalajara with the participation of seven vehicles, more than 30 hitmen and 200 shell casings, in a shootout that lasted about 15 minutes

This has set off alarm bells within FIFA about the World Cup venue in Mexico. Another detail to take into account are the words of former US President Donald Trump around the capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

Is the state of Guadalajara in Mexico at risk of losing its World Cup venue?

The US president has commented that he has a great diplomatic relationship with Claudia Sheinbaum , (president of Mexico), she is a good woman, but that the cartels rule Mexico . "Something will have to be done with Mexico," said Donald Trump, who on several occasions has mentioned the possibility of military incursions on Mexican soil in areas where drug trafficking has its bases ( Sinaloa, Michoacan and Guerrero mainly)

However, Jalisco is no stranger to this , where one of the main cartels has its origins in this state. Before the attack on Adrian Corona there was no risk, now the situation has changed .

Before last December's World Cup draw, T rump had threatened to remove venues because of the insecurity they suffered , even within his own country, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston or New York, where the final will be played. However, the soccer governing body put a stop to this: "It's FIFA's tournament, FIFA's jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions," said Concacaf president Victor Montagliani.

What is FIFA's position on the climate of insecurity in Mexico?

After the attack on the Mexican businessman, FIFA's office in Zurich sent formal questions to the organizers questioning the security context in the city, as well as the actions to be taken in collaboration with the Mexican government

The questions themselves denote concern and could jeopardize the headquarters if the answers do not satisfy the governing body, especially with the pressure from the US government, where its president "obtained the 1st FIFA Peace Prize" to fulfill his most exquisite whims.

The murder of Adrian Corona is not the only case that has set off alarm bells in Guadalajara with FIFA. A few weeks ago, up to 500 bags of human remains were found in the vicinity of the Estadio Akron , the World Cup stadium in Guadalajara

Until 2025, the answer to "Can Mexico lose one or all of its World Cup venues?" was a resounding NO; however, with the international political climate under pressure after what happened in Venezuela, with the firecracker that Trump threw at the Mexican government for the fight against the cartels, the answer has changed to "anything can happen". There is a lot of uncertainty five months before the opening match at the Estadio Azteca.