Guadalajara residents who have lived with cartel violence said fresh clashes in Jalisco added to lingering skepticism about whether the city is prepared to host FIFA World Cup matches. On Feb. 24, Hugo Alejandro Pérez, a 53-year-old restaurant owner, said gunfire and explosions erupted just outside his house in Guadalajara as the stadium nearby is slated to host World Cup games.
Pérez said he already doubted the city’s ability to stage the tournament, citing what he described as government shortcomings including water service to his home, alongside cartel violence in the surrounding state of Jalisco. The surge of bloodshed this week followed the Mexican military’s killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” Mexico’s most powerful cartel boss, according to the Associated Press report.
At a daily news briefing the same day, Sheinbaum was asked what guarantees there are that World Cup matches will be held in Jalisco. “Every guarantee,” she said, adding that there was “no risk” for fans coming to the tournament. Jalisco Gov. Jesús Pablo Lemus said he had spoken with local FIFA officials, who have “absolutely no intention of removing any venues from Mexico,” and that the “three venues remain completely unchanged.”
The state has been under intense scrutiny in recent years, with examples of cartel violence including a discovery of a cartel killing site at a ranch last March and a crisis of disappearances. Jalisco, with Guadalajara as its capital, is described as the central hub for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, and “El Mencho” was killed Sunday during a capture attempt by the military.
The military operation and waves of violence killed 70 people, the report said. It described cartel gunmen setting fire to cars to block streets in states across the country, including Jalisco, and fighting with Mexican forces that continued into Monday as the government said the conflict was under control. MSI previously reported that the killing of “El Mencho” was followed by violence.
U.S. and Mexican officials framed the operation as part of a broader push to crack down on criminal groups amid pressure tied to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands. The White House confirmed the U.S. provided intelligence support to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man it described as one of the most wanted criminals in both countries. On Tuesday night, Trump appeared to reference the operation briefly during his State of the Union address, saying “We’ve also taken down one of the most sinister cartel kingpins of all. You saw that yesterday.”
Local residents who questioned the World Cup’s suitability cited what they feared could follow the death of a top figure. Pérez said he commended Sheinbaum for taking cartel violence more seriously than her predecessors, but he also said local authorities in Jalisco have fallen short in protecting civilians. He said he doubted money from the tournament would reach working-class neighborhoods near the stadium, and added that he did not see the point of holding the games amid the violence.
The report said the root concern for many is that the death of “El Mencho” could pave the way for more violence. The killing of cartel capos—often referred to as the “kingpin strategy”—has drawn criticism from Sheinbaum because it can spark internal conflict between cartel factions and encourage rival cartels to make territorial grabs. Felbab-Brown, a Brookings Institution academic, said she did not see more acts of “revenge” by the cartel as likely, but she said the future remained uncertain, including after multiple leading figures in both CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel have been killed in recent years.
“If there is no clear line of succession (in CJNG), we might see a lot of fighting within the cartel, its breakup, and there are a lot of scenarios,” Felbab-Brown said. In the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s firefight, Pérez said gunmen began to burn a car just feet in front of his house and that fighting raged for about an hour, prompting people on the street to scramble into his home for cover.
Despite the clashes, Guadalajara appeared to be returning to normal activity on Tuesday, the report said, with some businesses reopening after two days and streets filled with traffic. Workers were described as fixing up the exterior of the soccer stadium that will host World Cup matches, while police and National Guard members were also seen throughout the city. Juan Carlos Pila, a 55-year-old taxi driver, said he thought social media and some local outlets were overplaying the violence, and he urged others to visit.
Others described their concern in different terms. Maria Dolores Aguirre runs a family business in Tapalpa, a cobblestoned tourist town in Jalisco’s mountains, and she said her livelihood depends on visitor flow. Aguirre said the military killed “El Mencho” near her town and warned that bloodshed would harm businesses like hers, calling it “collateral damage” and saying people around the world had seen what happened and would “think twice about coming.” The World Cup is expected to be a $3 billion economic engine in Mexico, according to the Mexican Soccer Federation, the report said.