World Cup 2026 is overshadowed by darkness before the opening day

With just over 100 days left before the World Cup 2026, Mexico is engulfed in a serious security emergency following intense gang violence in Guadalajara, jeopardizing the event's arrangements.

World Cup 2026 is being cast in a shadow before kickoff as Mexico, one of the three co-host nations, experiences significant instability due to criminal gang-related violence.

According to The Sun, a crime boss was eliminated in a crackdown operation on February 22. Immediately after, affiliated gang members launched a series of violent retaliatory attacks across multiple areas, including Guadalajara, a city expected to welcome many football fans this summer.

This year's biggest football tournament is scheduled to take place across three countries: the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Mexico will host 13 matches in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. In just 108 days, Mexico will hold the opening two matches of the World Cup 2026.

However, Guadalajara is currently engulfed in turmoil. Following the departure of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, armed groups flooded the streets, setting up hundreds of barricades, burning vehicles, and paralyzing the entire city. Witnesses reported thick smoke columns making Guadalajara look like a battlefield.

Numerous videos circulating on social media show tourists fleeing in panic at Guadalajara airport as armed men stormed the area and opened fire. Locals and visitors were forced to shelter inside homes and hotels for hours due to continuous gunfire.

As a result, football matches in Mexico have been severely impacted. In the past 24 hours, some games were postponed, and one was even halted mid-play due to safety concerns. Jalisco state authorities declared a state of emergency, suspended all public transportation, canceled large events, and closed schools for in-person learning.

Due to the escalating danger, all three host countries issued travel warnings, urging citizens to avoid Guadalajara and surrounding areas, and advising those trapped to stay in safe locations. Canada warned that Mexico currently faces “very high levels of violence and organized crime.”

These warnings come as millions of fans worldwide plan their trips to North America for the World Cup.

According to the schedule, Estadio Guadalajara will host the match between South Korea and the winner of the European playoff on June 11. On June 18, Mexico will face South Korea there. Then Colombia will play on June 23, followed by a major match between Uruguay and Spain on June 26.

Guadalajara will only host group stage matches, while Mexico City will continue to host games up to the round of 16. England is likely to play in Mexico City if they top their CONCACAF qualifying group.

The violence has spread beyond football to other sports. An international friendly between Mexico and Iceland, scheduled in Querétaro, was canceled by the Mexican Football Federation. Two top-tier matches, Querétaro vs Juarez and Chivas vs America, were postponed, along with two second-division games. Even international tennis officials have been urged to withdraw players from Mexico amid worsening security.

All these developments raise serious concerns about the organization of World Cup 2026, as the safety of players and fans becomes the top priority just months before the world's biggest football festival begins.