Four high-profile football matches were postponed on Sunday in Mexico after the Mexican army killed a powerful drug cartel leader in a town near Guadalajara, one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The postponements included two first-division matches: Querétaro vs. Juárez in the men’s league and Chivas vs. América in the women’s league, as well as the cancellation of two second-division matches. The Mexican Football Federation also announced the cancellation of an international friendly between Mexico and Iceland, which was scheduled to take place on Wednesday at the Corregidora Stadium in Querétaro.
Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was shot in the Tabalpa area of Jalisco state (about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara) and died while being airlifted to Mexico City. Following his death, members of the Jalisco Cartel set cars ablaze and blocked roads in nearly a dozen Mexican states.
The Jalisco Cartel is considered the most powerful cartel in Mexico, with an estimated 19,000 members and operations spanning 21 of the country’s 32 states. The Trump administration designated it a “foreign terrorist organization.”
On November 19, 2025, FIFA selected the Mexican cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey as host cities for the intercontinental playoff tournament scheduled for the last week of March. However, recent events have raised doubts about their readiness to host the highly anticipated event.
New Caledonia is set to face Jamaica in the Path A semifinals, with the winner then playing the Democratic Republic of Congo in a match that will determine the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup via the intercontinental playoffs.
In Path B, Bolivia will play Suriname, and the winner will face Iraq, who are eager to make their first World Cup appearance since 1986.
It is worth noting that Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, will host four World Cup matches in June, including two for South Korea. Mexico (the co-host nation), Spain, Uruguay, and Colombia will also play at the same venue, the Akron Stadium.
