Police fire tear gas as protesters clash outside World Cup opener

Thousands Protest Outside World Cup Opening Ceremony in Mexico City

Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Azteca Stadium on Thursday as Mexico hosted the opening ceremony and first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, clashing with riot police in chaotic scenes that underscored deep social tensions in the host country.

Clashes at the Stadium

As Mexico prepared to face South Africa in the tournament’s opening match, protesters — including members of a dissident teachers’ union, families of disappeared people, and neighborhood associations — marched toward the stadium in southern Mexico City. Police fired what appeared to be tear gas canisters toward the crowd, forcing demonstrators to retreat, according to the New York Times. Al Jazeera reported that protesters threw cones, rocks, and plant pots at the security perimeter surrounding the venue.aa

Riot police had formed barricades near Azteca Stadium in the days leading up to the match. The government’s messaging throughout was that the event would proceed as planned, and the opening ceremony and match — a 2-0 Mexican victory — went ahead without disruption inside the stadium.youtube

Competing Demands

The protests brought together groups with distinct grievances. Teachers demanded wage increases and the reinstatement of public pensions eliminated under a 2007 reform that privatized the system. Relatives of Mexico’s tens of thousands of disappeared people sought to use the global spotlight to press for government action on the ongoing crisis of cartel kidnappings and forced disappearances.youtube

The teachers’ union had occupied Mexico City’s central Zócalo square with a protest camp, forcing authorities to consider relocating the official FIFA fan festival. President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that 18 alternative venues were available if the Zócalo event could not proceed.espn

Broader Tensions

The demonstrations reflected frustration over the costs of hosting the tournament and the inaccessibility of the event to ordinary Mexicans. “The people who love this sport are not going to be able to attend the games. They have been extraordinarily inaccessible to the population,” journalist José Luis Granados Ceja told Democracy Now.youtube

Sheinbaum’s government acknowledged it could not meet all of the teachers’ demands, saying it could not afford to re-nationalize pensions at this time. The president gave away her ticket to the opening match and did not attend.espn