Offside in Mexico: The other side of the 2026 World Cup

Mexico is one of the three host countries of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the country has wholeheartedly embraced the role – viewing the tournament as a long-awaited opportunity to share its truly extraordinary culture and landscapes.

“The ball comes home” is one of the tournament’s official slogans.  But human rights organisations and victims’ groups have created their own version: “The ball comes home –but when do our children?”

Official figures tell a devastating story: more than 134,000 people are registered as disappeared in Mexico, and 70,000 bodies are held by the national forensic system, still awaiting identification.  Additionally, more than 30,000 people are killed each year. These numbers speak to the extreme violence that has come to define daily life in much of the country – violence that has only increased since former President Felipe Calderón declared war on organised crime nearly two decades ago. In some Mexican states, people live in an atmosphere of terror that rivals the conditions found in the world’s most brutal armed conflicts.

Compounding this violence is a pervasive culture of impunity, entrenched by patterns of collusion between authorities and organised crime that consistently block prevention, investigation and accountability.

As the World Cup gets underway, the families of victims of enforced disappearance are taking to the streets – and to the country’s main stadiums – to demand truth, justice and reparation. “We are not opposed to the World Cup – what we stand against is oblivion” has become one of the main rallying cries of the protests.

It is in this context that ICIP, Amnesty International Catalonia and Taula per Mèxic are co-organising the roundtable discussion “Offside in Mexico: The other side of the 2026 World Cup.” This event aims to amplify the voices of those protesting against the serious human rights violations that occur in the host country, while also opening a broader conversation about how major sporting events – and sport more generally – can be a force for building more cohesive and compassionate societies.

The panel discussion will take place on Wednesday 8 July at 6:30pm in the assembly hall of La Model, in Barcelona. Speakers will include Mexican journalist Lucía Lagunes, Catalan sports journalist Toni Padilla, and Marlety García, a searching mother and representative of the Colectivo Entre Cielo y Tierra Oficial, who will join the conversation online.  The event has been organised in collaboration with Casa Amèrica Catalunya and the Mexican association CEPAD – Centro de Justicia para la Paz y el Desarrollo.

Photo: Luz de Esperanza.