The World Cup was rocked by more scenes of violence on Thursday, when, minutes before Mexico’s Group A clash against South Korea kicked off, chaos erupted as fans attempted to break their way into fan parks across the country.
The tournament co-hosts faced South Korea in Guadalajara on Thursday evening in a highly-anticipated clash for El Tri fans with the top spot in Group A on the line.
However, a horde of overly-excited Mexican fans sparked disorder when they forced their way into the fan zone in the city in their desperation to secure a spot.
According to videos shared to social media by local outlets, thousands of supporters broke through the FIFA-branded barriers around the Jalisco fan fest in Guadalajara as they surged into the event venue, crushing one another in the process.
Many were knocked to the floor with one woman seen being trampled over as her fellow fans rushed past her to continue their burst into the park.
They continued to pack into the Historic Center and knocked down security barriers at the Cathedral to sneak into the Plaza de Armas.
Thousands of fans forced their way into fan zones across Mexico ahead of Thursday’s game
Fans broke down fences and trampled over one another to make it into the fan areas
Riot forces were quickly deployed to wrangle control of the chaos and contain the crowd, but the numbers had already exceeded the venue’s capacity according to local reports.
Meanwhile, chaos also swept through the streets of Mexico City where fans were similarly attempting to shove their way into the fan zone in Zócalo.
There, they could be seen pushing against the metal barricades, before ultimately toppling them over while event organizers watched on in panic.
The scenes were eerily reminiscent of Mexico’s opener last week against South Africa in Mexico City.
The opening day of the 2026 World Cup was hit by violent protests as riot police fired tear gas at demonstrators outside the stadium.
What was supposed to be a global celebration turned into a chaotic political nightmare, threatening to completely overshadow the tournament’s curtain-raiser.
While Mexico secured a 2-0 victory over South Africa , thousands of protesters hit the capital to voice rage over missing citizens and poor labor conditions.
The massive demonstrations were fueled by a coalition of multiple unions and activist groups marching to draw global eyes to the country’s severe domestic issues.
A National Guard member stands guard at the FIFA Fan Fest Guadalajara installation
Thousands of fans began to pack into Plaza Guadalajara ahead of kickoff on Thursday
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How should Mexico balance fans’ passion for football with the urgent calls for justice from protesters?
The most prominent groups mobilizing include searching mothers’ collectives, the CNTE teachers’ union, federal judiciary workers and various transport organizations. In total, it was reported that eight simultaneous protests took place on Thursday.
Human rights groups have thrown a spotlight on the country’s staggering missing-persons epidemic, which continues to plague tens of thousands of families.
According to Mexico’s National Registry, there are currently 134,460 recorded missing persons across the nation, a figure that continues to rise rapidly.
‘This is a crisis on a staggering scale,’ warned Edith Olivares Ferreto , Executive Director of Amnesty International Mexico, ahead of the opening match.
‘There are more disappeared and missing people in Mexico than will attend the opening match of this World Cup,’ the human rights boss added in a statement.
‘Amnesty International calls on authorities across all states in Mexico to fully respect the right to peaceful protest and to refrain from any actions that could result in the repression of demonstrations. We will be closely monitoring the development of mobilizations throughout the country.
‘Football cannot ‘unite the world’ while mass deportations continue to devastate families and spread fear and division, or while people are prevented from expressing themselves freely.’
Marching under the slogan ‘Don’t play with our pain,’ hundreds of relatives carried candles and photographs of their missing loved ones right up to police lines.
Protesters attempt to breach the Mexico City Stadium ahead of last week’s opener
One of the most prominent groups included searching mothers’ collectives. According to Mexico’s National Registry, there are currently 134,460 recorded missing persons in the nation
They are demanding urgent international help to solve cases that local authorities and federal investigators have allegedly neglected and ignored for years.
While the vast majority of the 18,000 demonstrators marched peacefully, tensions boiled over just an hour before kickoff outside the main stadium gates.
The Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City (SSC) later confirmed that there were two groups of around 800 protesters, from which nearly 200 hooded individuals broke away.
Approximately 300 police officers were deployed, as well as a mounted unit, to disperse the protesters.
