Protestors stormed to a gate just as the World Cup 2026 opening game tonight in Mexico City kicked off against South Africa
Dozens of demonstrators are said to have clashed with police outside the stadium in Mexico tonight as the World Cup opener of the tournament started.
As Mexico and South Africa went head-to-head as the first match of the tournament, ‘Molotov cocktails’ were allegedly being thrown at police outside the iconic Estadio Azteca.
Footage shared online appeared to show protestors clashing with police lines in riot gear outside Gate 8. Demonstrators allegedly were seen throwing objects, including ‘Molotov cocktails’, at the force reports The Express.
Tensions have been rising across Mexico City as tourists and football fans from all over the world pour in, as locals argue officials have focused on the big event at the expense of social concerns.
Last night, more than 1,000 relatives of Mexico’s missing people marched towards the stadium with candles and photographs, reports The Express.
The match itself, part of the opening fixture of the FIFA World Cup, was continuing inside the stadium at the time of the unrest tonight, though there were concerns about access routes and crowd safety around the venue.
Amid the wider disruption, a separate emergency incident occurred shortly before kick-off when an elderly spectator died at the stadium.
An 80-year-old man is understood to have suffered a suspected heart attack at Gate 1 of the Mexico City venue shortly before the match began. Emergency services were called and paramedics from the World Cup security medical team reportedly reached the scene within minutes, providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and stabilising the man before he was taken to hospital.
He was initially reported to have been revived in the ambulance and placed under observation in a stable condition, according to local authorities, but later died. Officials have not yet released further details.
The 2026 tournament officially kicked off at 8pm local time with the opening fixture between Mexico and South Africa, as the United States, Mexico and Canada prepare to jointly host 48 teams across a six-week competition.
The build-up to the World Cup has also been marked by wider controversy, including geopolitical tensions, with Iran previously issuing statements suggesting it could withdraw from fixtures under certain conditions.
Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City said in a statement on X: ” Following the events that occurred in the vicinity of the #EstadioCiudadDeMéxico, in which nearly 200 hooded individuals who broke away from two groups of around 800 protesters, the situation was brought under control by personnel from the #Metropolitan Police.”
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