How Risky Is Watching the World Cup in Mexico? Here’s What Security Experts Say
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When millions of international fans descend on Mexico for the World Cup this summer, they’ll find more than murals of soccer legends and buzzing fan zones. They’ll also encounter an unprecedented security apparatus—one designed to protect visitors while polishing the country’s global image.
Nearly 100,000 security personnel are being mobilized across the three host cities—Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey—as well as locations hosting team base camps and training centers. The operation, code-named Plan Kukulkan after the Mayan serpent deity, involves federal, state and local agencies, plus cross-border coordination with World Cup co-hosts Canada and the United States.
Mexican officials insist the plan will keep fans safe despite the country’s long struggle with cartel violence, organized crime and impunity. But experts caution that the situation is more nuanced: while tourists will likely be well-protected in major venues and tourist corridors, underlying threats persist—and impact residents far more than visitors.
“The security umbrella is real, but it’s not uniform,” said Víctor Manuel Sánchez Valdés, a researcher at the Autonomous University of Coahuila. “Each host city has a different crime profile.”
Mexico City: Safe but not immune
The capital, which will host five matches including the tournament opener on June 11, is widely considered the safest of the three host cities. It lacks the dominant cartel presence that defines Guadalajara and Monterrey. However, criminal networks remain active in piracy, human trafficking, prostitution, drug dealing and extortion, according to Sánchez.
“It also has the highest per capita police presence and the most security cameras in the country, which gives it a different risk profile,” he told CNN.
Still, tourists may encounter street-level crime: pickpocketing, robbery and scams are common in any global metropolis. Transport security is another challenge in a city of nearly 22 million people. Teresa Martínez, a professor at the School of Social Sciences and Government of Tecnológico de Monterrey, noted that ensuring safe, all-night transit involves far more than deploying officers. “You need to guarantee the system is viable, accessible and secure for everyone—fans or not.”
Authorities are deploying roughly 56,000 officers across Mexico City, including traffic police, special units, a tourist police force and aerial surveillance. Armed personnel with shields and automatic rifles already guard El Zócalo, where the “Fan Festival” will begin June 11.
Guadalajara: Cartel territory, disappearances
Guadalajara, host of four group-stage matches, faces two of Mexico’s most acute crises: cartel dominance and a staggering number of disappearances. The city is the capital of Jalisco, a state controlled by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the country’s largest and deadliest criminal groups. When authorities captured its leader, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, in February, the cartel retaliated with a wave of arson and clashes with security forces.
The state also reports the highest number of missing people in Mexico—roughly 16,000 cases. Civilian search groups have uncovered hundreds of bodies in clandestine graves, some within kilometers of the city’s main stadium where World Cup matches will be played.
“Of the three host cities, Guadalajara deserves particular attention,” Martínez said. Experts note that high-level cartel violence primarily affects residents, but visitors aren’t immune to opportunistic crimes. “It will mostly be petty theft, fraud, things like that—not cartel-related,” said Victoria Dittmar, a senior researcher at InSight Crime in Mexico.
Monterrey: Drug corridor and fuel theft
Monterrey sits in Nuevo León, a state bordering the United States. Its location makes it a major corridor for drug trafficking, money laundering and fuel theft—a chronic problem across Mexico. Criminal groups also engage in drug dealing and extortion against locals.
As in Guadalajara, high-level organized crime is unlikely to directly target foreigners, but fans could still fall victim to street-level crime, fake ticket scams or fraudulent tour operators. “If you’re talking about travel fraud, fake tickets, bogus tours, the target is tourists—especially domestic and international ones,” Martínez said.
Authorities have launched awareness campaigns urging fans to buy from reputable sources, and are cracking down on counterfeit ticket sales.
Beyond the stadiums: Sex trafficking and exploitation
A broader concern is the potential spike in sex trafficking. With a surge of visitors, experts fear criminal groups will exploit vulnerable populations—including children, impoverished communities and migrants—to meet increased demand for commercial sex.
“Let’s not deny that some people come to host cities to watch football and also to consume bodies they consider disposable,” Martínez said bluntly.
Human trafficking is a nationwide crisis, and NGOs and researchers are bracing for heightened activity during the tournament.
The cartel calculation: Stability is good for business
Paradoxically, organized crime groups may have an incentive to keep violence low during the World Cup. In tourist hubs like Cancún and Puerto Vallarta, which fans are also expected to visit, cartels extort restaurants, hotels and nightclubs—taking a cut of tourism revenue.
“Stability is in the interest of organized crime groups because these local businesses have become highly profitable,” Dittmar said.
The enduring criticism: Foreigners first, locals second
While Mexico’s biggest cities will be largely safe for foreigners during the tournament, experts warn that once the World Cup ends and visitors go home, the underlying problems will remain—and residents will face them without the added security boost.
That has revived a familiar complaint: that the Mexican government prioritizes the safety of foreigners over its own people. Weeks before the tournament, search groups protested in Mexico City, criticizing the government for pouring resources into a foreigner-focused event while failing to find missing citizens.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected claims of inaction. But Sánchez predicts more protests during the cup. “Organizations will use the World Cup to highlight problems that have been ignored or not sufficiently addressed,” he said. “We can’t rule out protests outside stadiums, at subway entrances or in fan zones.”
For now, the message from experts is measured: fans can enjoy the tournament with reasonable precautions, but Mexico’s deep-seated security challenges will outlast the final whistle.