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Thousands of football fans gathered in Mexico City’s central Zocalo Square on Thursday to celebrate the Mexican national team’s 2-0 victory over South Africa in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Authorities installed giant screens throughout the plaza to broadcast the game, drawing large crowds of fans who marked the start of the tournament with public demonstrations of support.
While the sporting event took place at Azteca Stadium, the opening day of the global tournament was also marked by large-scale political demonstrations across the capital.
Various social movements used the international media presence to highlight domestic grievances, leading to major traffic disruptions and clashes with law enforcement.
Hours before kickoff, at around 7:00 a.m. local time (1:00 p.m GMT), the National Coordinator of Education Workers, one of the country’s largest labor unions, occupied major roadways in southern Mexico City. The blockades directly impacted transit routes connecting the rest of the capital to Azteca Stadium.
The demonstrating teachers, who traveled from various regions across Mexico, demanded the repeal of the 2007 pension reforms.
The 2007 legislation replaced the traditional state-backed pension system, which was based on years of service, with an individual contribution scheme tied to financial markets.
Union members argue that investing workers' contributions into financial securities has resulted in low payouts, stating that the average retired worker receives less than $400 a month, compared to Mexico's national minimum wage of $530.
Protest organizers accused Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum of breaking a 2024 campaign promise to restore the previous pension system.
"On the contrary, what she has done is meet with business leaders and financial interests that control the pension fund administrators, known in Mexico as Afores," Alejandro Gutierrez, a march organizer, told Anadolu Agency.
Gutierrez noted that private funds currently control assets equivalent to nearly 20% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Simultaneously, a separate demonstration took place along Reforma Avenue, near the Angel of Independence monument.
Groups of mothers and human rights activists gathered to draw international attention to the country's ongoing disappearance crisis, which currently exceeds 130,000 cases nationwide.
According to data from victim advocacy groups, more than one person disappears every hour in Mexico. Activists at the rally criticized the federal government's response, stating that authorities lack a clear framework to accurately track missing persons or document the number of migrants who disappear while crossing Mexican territory.
Human rights organizations attribute these disappearances to both organized crime and state entities, pointing to documented cases involving the implication of local police and military officials.
Demonstrators expressed frustration with the administration's handling of the situation, alleging that the government has sought to downplay the crisis to maintain a favorable international image during the month-long FIFA tournament.
The day concluded with confrontations between security forces and demonstrators miles away from the stadium. As public viewings of the match ended, police units clashed with the marching groups.
The local police reportedly used physical force to disperse the crowds.
While the Mexico City government did not release an immediate official statement regarding the incident, some student groups confirmed that 12 demonstrators, the majority of whom were young students, were arrested and taken into police custody.
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