FIFA president confident World Cup will go on despite Mexico violence

• The U.S. State Department had issued a shelter-in-place advisory for U.S. citizens in Mexico following the violence.
• Miami, a co-host city, is seeing a 200 percent increase in hotel bookings for the World Cup period.

MIAMI — The wave of violence that rocked Mexico and led the U.S. State Department to advise U.S. citizens to shelter in place has caught the attention of FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the buildup to the 2026 World Cup, although Infantino said he remains confident matches hosted in Mexico this summer will be a celebration of the sport.

Following the killing of drug-cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera by Mexican security forces, violence broke out in multiple cities including Guadalajara, leading to flight cancellations, roadblocks and the shelter in place order. With the disturbances appearing to wane, normalcy is beginning to return, but only after dozens were reported dead.

Infantino, speaking at an event Feb. 25 to celebrate the opening of a FIFA museum at Miami’s Freedom Tower, said FIFA has been in constant contact with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

“We monitor the situation, we look at the situation, and things happen in the world,” Infantino said. “We don’t live on the moon; we live in the world. And when things happen, we have to trust the situation, authorities, the state, the police. We have to trust them with all our confidence and support Mexico, support a country that has suffered, that deserves the World Cup to be a party. And it will be a party.”

Mexico is co-hosting the World Cup with the United States and Canada. Mexico City’s historic Estadio Azteca is scheduled to stage the tournament’s opening match, Mexico vs. South Africa, on June 11.

But Infantino has more pressing concerns before that. Guadalajara, which also will host World Cup matches, is scheduled to host two matches March 26 to help to determine the survivor of a six-team playoff.

“Nobody has to move anything,” Infantino said.

Multiple league matches over the past several days, however, have been postponed.

Infantino spoke on a panel that included Miami Host City Co-Chair Rodney Barreto, Inter Miami owner Jorge Más and Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega.

World Cup in Miami updates

Here are some key takeaways from the gathering:

• Barreto said the early returns he’s receiving from the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau show a 200 percent increase in hotel bookings during the World Cup. After the recent killings of Reneé Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by ICE officers, there were calls for a boycott of World Cup matches in the United States.

• Seven World Cup matches will be staged at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, including a quarterfinal and the consolation match. All eyes are on the June 27 match featuring Colombia vs. Portugal. FIFA officials said that match drew more than 30 million ticket requests — the most of any match in the 48-team tournament, including even the Cup final. The least-expensive tickets for Colombia-Portugal start at more than $2,200 on the secondary market.

• England’s national team, ranked fourth by FIFA, is close to finalizing plans for two World Cup tune-up matches at Inter Miami’s soon-to-open Freedom Park near Miami International Airport.

• Barreto said the Fan Fest scheduled for Bayfront Park in downtown Miami will go on as planned. Ray Martinez, COO of the Miami Host Committee, told The New York Times this week that the festival could be scrapped unless the committee receives funding from the federal government. Last week, New York scrapped a festival that had been planned for Liberty State Park.

• Barreto said plans will be announced to handle traffic, public transportation and security. The transportation plan will include Brightline, Tri-Rail and ride-sharing, he said.

• The FIFA museum, a first in the United States celebrating the history of the sport, is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entry is $18 per person, with discounts available to students. It’s a permanent exhibit at the Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd.

Regarding the Fan Fest, Barreto said, “Our Fan Fest is happening. We’re committed to it. It’s all being staged. We have an agreement with the City of Miami, with Bayfront Park.”

Barreto, longtime head of South Florida’s Super Bowl Host Committees, added, “We’ve done this with numerous Super Bowls.”

Martinez had expressed reservations because unlike Super Bowl festivals, which last about a week, the FIFA event is planned to stretch over 23 days.

Barreto said, “We’re hitting all our marks internally with respect to fundraising and cooperation between city, county, state government and federal government, so we feel good. Thank God I’m not the chairman of the Guadalajara Host Committee. But Miami is ready.” 

Más expressed confidence that Miami Freedom Park will be ready for its debut April 4. Más said Lionel Messi, who led Inter Miami to the MLS Cup last season, is focused on assuring Argentina retains the World Cup.

Más couldn’t help but reflect on how far his group and the region have come since Major League Soccer granted him a franchise seven years ago.

“We were sitting in a conference room in our office with a blank board and sort of saying, ‘Oh, what do we do next?’ to today, having a club that’s considered really a giant in global football. Our visibility is global. We’re the best-selling jersey on the planet (Messi’s No. 10). We have the world’s best player here. We’re the MLS Cup champions. We have the World Cup in our city. We live in the best city in the world.

“I mean, things can’t get better. It’s a pinch-me moment.”