Fatal Shooting At Football Field Leaves Central Mexico Shaken Ahead Of FIFA World Cup 2026

Atleast 11 civilians were killed and 12 left injured after armed assailants opened fire during a football match in Central Mexico on Sunday, in an attack that has left the local officials describing as worsening wave of criminal violence.

Mexico City is one of the host members for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 which starts from June 11 and will conclude on July 19. Mexico City is set to open the tournament with the host nation taking on South Africa at the Azetca.

Salamanca Mayor Cesar Prieto released a statement wherein he posted about the gunmen and how they arrived at the end of a football match.

Ten people at the scene and one died later at a hospital. The mayor said a woman and a minor were among the wounded.

Prieto said the attack was part of a “crime wave” in the city and appealed to President Claudia Sheinbaum for help to control the violence.

The Guanajuato state prosecutor’s office said it was investigating and coordinating with federal authorities to reinforce security in the area.

Guanajuato had Mexico’s highest homicide total last year. A local gang, Santa Rosa de Lima, has been battling the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

“Unfortunately, there are criminal groups trying to subjugate authorities, something they are not going to achieve,” the mayor said.

Overall, Mexico’s government says the country’s 2025 murder rate was the lowest since 2016 at 17.5 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, although analysts cautioned that the numbers may not fully reflect the country’s violence.

(with AP inputs)