Protests and last-minute construction work disrupt Mexico City ahead of World Cup

Eight days before Mexico City kicks off the FIFA 2026 World Cup, mass protests by teachers and retired judges, road closures and last-minute construction work caused chaos in the capital on Wednesday for millions of residents who face long delays ​and complex rerouting of their daily commutes, Reuters reported.

On June 11, Mexico City will host the inaugural World Cup match between ‌Mexico and South Africa at Azteca stadium in the capital.

With Mexico in the global spotlight, teachers and other groups have staged marches and blocked major avenues. They have said their protests, which are unrelated to the tournament, could intensify unless President Claudia Sheinbaum's government addresses their demands.

The CNTE, a dissident wing of the national teachers' union, ​has threatened mass demonstrations at the opening of the World Cup in official statements shared on social media.

The union is ​demanding the government fulfill a campaign pledge to repeal a 2007 law that overhauled the pension and ⁠social security system for public-sector workers, as well as salary increases.

The protests are concentrated on Insurgentes and Paseo de la Reforma, two of the capital's busiest and most emblematic boulevards. Elsewhere in the capital, teachers ‌were also ⁠blocking roads, generating traffic gridlock and frustrating commuters.

On Tuesday, protesters toppled towering statues of football players on Mexico City's Paseo de la Reforma.

In downtown Mexico City, retired judges and magistrates were also protesting, demanding severance pay and pensions following a sweeping 2024 judicial reform that restructured the country's justice system.

Mexico will host 13 World Cup matches: five in the capital, and four each in the cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey. Mexico City has undergone several infrastructure projects ahead of ⁠the world's ​biggest sporting event.

However, renovations at the Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, ​the country's largest and busiest airport, and repairs to the capital's metro system and main avenues have yet to be completed. On Tuesday, a metal structure from a ​pedestrian bridge at the airport collapsed, injuring a motorist.