Protests in Mexico Block Road to Azteca Stadium Ahead of World Cup
As football fans pour into tournament co-hosts the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the North American nation is dealing with disruptive teacher protests in its capital city.
Tuesday's protest, led by a splinter group of the CNTE teachers' union, follows a week of demonstrations that President Claudia Sheinbaum has described as a "provocation."
"As if to say, 'Look at how bad the situation is in Mexico,'" she told a press conference.
The Azteca stadium will host the World Cup's opening match, pitting Mexico against South Africa on Thursday, with a massive global TV audience expected to watch the opening ceremony and the game.
Authorities have deployed thousands of officers and erected concrete barriers around the venue to prevent protests.
"We intend to reach the stadium," demonstrator Angel Villalobos told AFP on Tuesday. "The government has given some responses, but they do not help; they do not satisfy."
Sheinbaum said earlier that the opening match was "guaranteed," though the left-leaning leader again ruled out using police to suppress the demonstrations.
Her government has favoured dialogue with the protesting teachers, but to no avail.
"We are going to continue our struggle," said Austreberto Flores, another protester aiming to block Azteca Stadium.
The CNTE teachers' union has been on strike since last week to demand a salary increase and the reversal of a pension law, which the government considers unfeasible.
The teachers have also set up camp near the World Cup fan zone in Mexico City's Zocalo Square.
As on June 1st, police dispersed protesters in the area with rubber bullets and tear gas.
"They want to make it seem like there is mass social turmoil in Mexico, and that is not true," Sheinbaum has said of the protests.
The teachers have called for demonstrations on Thursday that will also include families of so-called "disappeared" people, who are alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by Mexican authorities or criminal gangs.
The 2026 edition of the world's biggest football extravaganza is the most logistically complex ever staged.
Mexico is still rushing to complete renovations at subway stations and at its main airport ahead of the tournament.