How dangerous is watching the World Cup in Mexico, really?

This aerial view shows the Mexico City Stadium, renamed from Azteca Stadium (or Banorte Stadium) for the FIFA World Cup, in Mexico City on May 28, 2026. Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

When millions of foreigners visit Mexico for the World Cup this summer, they will encounter much more than colorful soccer murals, towering statues of players and lively fan festivals.

In the country’s biggest tourist hotspots, visitors will see tighter security measures and heavier police presence meant to safeguard both fans and Mexico’s public image.

Nearly 100,000 security personnel will be deployed by the government to the country’s three host cities – Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey – as well as other places hosting training centres and team base camps.

It’s part of an ambitious security strategy called Plan Kukulkan – named after a serpent deity in Maya mythology – that involves dozens of federal, state and local agencies, as well as cooperation from World Cup co-hosts Canada and the United States.

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Mexican officials insist the plan will keep the country safe despite its history of cartel violence, crime and impunity.

While experts acknowledge that Mexico is stepping up its security efforts this summer and that fans will be relatively well protected, they caution that parts of the country are still susceptible to threats that could impact tourists and residents to varying degrees.

Mexico City

The capital city, which will host five World Cup matches including the opener on June 11, is considered one of the safest places in the country, but it’s not without risks.

Though it’s not dominated by major cartels like the other two host cities, criminal groups are still active there and have their hand in a range of illicit activities, according to Víctor Manuel Sánchez Valdés, researcher at the Autonomous University of Coahuila.

“There are very large networks of piracy, human trafficking, prostitution, obviously drug dealing, and some extortion, but it’s also the area of the country with the highest per capita police presence and security cameras, which gives it a different crime profile,” Sánchez told CNN.

As in any other global city, tourists in the Mexican capital could encounter street-level crimes including pickpocketing, robberies and scams.

Transportation will also be a security challenge in the metropolis of nearly 22 million people, according to Teresa Martínez, a professor and researcher at the School of Social Sciences and Government of Tecnológico de Monterrey.

“In a city like Mexico City, you have to ensure there’s a transportation system running all night, which involves a series of decisions beyond just deploying security personnel. You need other things to guarantee, for example, that the transportation system is safe, viable, and accessible to all fans, whether foreign or not,” Martínez said.

To mitigate security risks, authorities are reportedly deploying some 56,000 officers across the city, including traffic police, special units, a tourist police force and aerial surveillance.

Dozens of security personnel, some armed with shields and automatic rifles, are currently guarding El Zócalo, the city’s main plaza, where a “Fan Festival“ will be held starting June 11.

Guadalajara

Guadalajara, which will host four group-stage World Cup matches, is plagued by two of the country’s biggest crises: cartel violence and disappearances.

The city is the capital of Jalisco, a state dominated by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the largest and deadliest in the country. Its grip on the state is so tight that when Mexican authorities captured its leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes in February, the group retaliated by unleashing a wave of violence, torching vehicles and businesses while clashing with security forces.

The state is also notorious for having the highest number of missing people across the country, with roughly 16,000 cases reported, according to the Jalisco government. For years, civilian groups have carried out near-daily searches throughout the state and have found hundreds of bodies of murdered loved ones buried in clandestine graves. In the past year, bodies have been found not far from the city’s main stadium where the World Cup matches will be played.

“It seems to me that of the three (host cities), Guadalajara deserves particular attention,” said Martínez.

These major crimes generally affect residents, according to experts, but that doesn’t mean visitors won’t face risks.

“It will mostly be things like petty theft, fraud, opportunistic crimes that may occur, but nothing related to this criminal control,” said Victoria Dittmar, a senior researcher for the think tank InSight Crime in Mexico.

Monterrey

Monterrey, like Guadalajara, is a city with a significant presence of organized crime, Dittmar said.

Given that it’s located in the state of Nuevo León, which borders the United States, Monterrey is considered a major drug trafficking corridor, according to Sánchez.

It’s also notorious for fuel theft, a major problem in the country, as well as violence between rival cartels and money laundering.

In urban areas, criminal groups also carry out drug dealing operations and extortion against residents, Sánchez said.

Like Guadalajara, Monterrey’s high-level crimes are not expected to have much of an impact on foreigners, who could still be targeted by street-level crimes and scams.

Risks across the country

The issue of fraud and piracy, particularly related to the sale of counterfeit tickets, is a problem that experts and officials warn could happen in any part of the country.

“For example, if you’re talking about travel fraud, fake tickets, bogus tours, obviously the target of that fraud is tourists, especially domestic and international ones,” Martínez said.

Officials have been trying to mitigate that risk with awareness campaigns advising fans to purchase goods and services from reputable sources.

Human trafficking is also a major concern nationwide.

Authorities, NGOs and researchers fear that the influx of visitors will lead to a greater demand in sex tourism, and to meet it, criminal groups will force more vulnerable people into prostitution, including children, impoverished communities and migrants.

“Let’s not deny that some of the people who come to the host cities to watch football also go there to consume – and it’s disgusting but true – they’re going to consume bodies that they consider disposable,” said Martínez.

Violence linked to organized crime will undoubtedly be a concern for fans considering a trip to Mexico. But Dittmar said criminal groups will likely try to reduce instability because they, too, profit from tourism.

In resort towns that fans are also expected to visit, like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, criminals have been extorting restaurants, night clubs and hotels, taking a chunk of the revenue they generate from tourists.

“So, stability is in the interest of organized crime groups … because these local businesses have become highly profitable, especially for localized organized crime groups,” Dittmar said.

Is the safety of residents being overlooked?

Mexico’s biggest cities will largely be safe for foreigners during the World Cup, according to experts. But once the tournament ends and tourists return to their homes, Mexico’s problems will persist and residents will have to face them without the added benefit of a World Cup security strategy.

This has revived a common criticism Mexicans have had against their government: that it far too often prioritizes the safety of foreigners over its own people.

“That’s a complaint that many are being very vocal about, especially with regards to the crisis of disappeared persons,” said Dittmar.

Weeks before the World Cup began, search groups held a protest in Mexico City where they criticized officials for pouring resources into a tournament that caters to foreigners, and not enough resources into finding missing people at home.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has previously rejected claims of inaction.

Sánchez pointed out that more organizations are expected to voice their concerns throughout the tournament.

“I think they’re also going to use the World Cup as a way to bring some of these issues to light. We can’t rule out protests outside stadiums, at subway entrances or in fan zones. Organizations and groups will indeed use the World Cup to highlight problems that have been ignored or not sufficiently addressed,” he said.

Michael Rios, CNN