World Cup 2026 Opens in Mexico City Amid Protests, Policing, and Presidential Absence
The tournament's first day brought security tensions in Mexico, a diplomatic substitution in Los Angeles, and an upbeat FIFA chief brushing aside mounting concerns.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off Thursday as Mexico City hosted the tournament's opening events, marking the first edition of football's premier competition to be staged across three nations — the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The long-anticipated tournament arrived freighted with security concerns, political symbolism, and a FIFA leadership projecting breezy confidence in the face of substantive criticism.
Mexican authorities launched a major police operation in Mexico City, with officers deployed to protect the international airport from demonstrations by radical teacher unions. The security alert intensified after explosive material was reportedly discovered in the vicinity of planned protest routes. The teachers' unions, affiliated with militant factions of Mexico's education sector, have a history of large-scale disruptive actions in the capital.
In Los Angeles, the United States played its first home World Cup match against Paraguay — a symbolically charged moment for a nation that co-hosted the tournament for the first time since 1994. President Donald Trump was not present for the occasion. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the official American delegation in Trump's place, a substitution that drew attention given the administration's prominent role in promoting the co-hosted event.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that FIFA president Gianni Infantino, speaking at a press conference the day before the tournament opened, struck a notably relaxed tone when confronted with a series of outstanding concerns. Questions about Iran's participation, visa difficulties faced by some travelling fans, and the steep cost of match tickets were each met with assurances that problems had been exaggerated or were being resolved.
The two German-language outlets framed the opening day through different lenses. Der Spiegel foregrounded the security dimension in Mexico City, emphasising the explosive find and the scale of the police mobilisation as a shadow over the festivities. Die Welt focused on the American political context, treating Trump's absence and Rubio's stand-in role as the defining diplomatic story of the opening fixtures.
The 2026 edition is the first World Cup to feature 48 national teams, expanded from the previous 32, making it the largest in the tournament's history. The tri-national format means matches are spread across stadiums from Vancouver to Mexico City to Miami, placing unusual logistical demands on organisers and travelling supporters alike.
Ticket pricing and accessibility have been persistent grievances among fans, with critics arguing that the expanded, commercially driven format has pushed costs beyond the reach of ordinary supporters from lower-income footballing nations. Visa access — particularly for fans from countries facing travel restrictions — remains an unresolved issue despite Infantino's assurances.
How security holds across Mexico City's opening days will be closely watched, given the combination of a globally visible event and an active domestic labour dispute. Whether Trump attends any subsequent US matches, and what Rubio's presence signals about the administration's engagement with the tournament, also remains an open question as the group stage unfolds over the coming weeks.