Deadly raid on Mexican drug lord sparks unrest in 2026 World Cup host region

After Mexican forces killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in a U.S.-backed operation, retaliatory violence spread across several states. An expert speculated the raid was part of preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

Soccer matches were cancelled and schools remained closed on Monday after a wave of violence erupted across western Mexico following the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” the alleged founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in a security operation that officials said was carried out with U.S. intelligence support.

Some speculate that security concerns about this summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026 may have prompted the operation as the city of Guadalajara — believed to be under heavy influence of the cartel — is supposed to host some of the matches.

Within hours of the raid, suspected cartel members set up roadblocks, torched vehicles and attacked businesses across Jalisco and neighboring states, clashing with security forces and paralyzing transportation. By evening, authorities reported 252 blockades nationwide, most of which were later cleared, though the highest number was concentrated in Jalisco.

Four soccer matches were cancelled as violence and blockades were reported in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and surrounding areas. Puerto Vallarta’s airport canceled all international flights and most domestic departures, while carriers including American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Air Canada suspended dozens of routes. The British Foreign Office and the U.S. Embassy warned travelers to remain indoors and avoid nonessential movement because of ongoing security incidents.

Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense said troops had attempted to arrest Oseguera in the town of Tapalpa but came under attack and returned fire. Four cartel members were killed at the scene and three others died after being wounded, including Oseguera, according to the statement.

The national newspaper La Jornada reported that 26 people had died in the operation, but the number has not yet been officially confirmed.

Officials said the operation was conducted “within the framework of bilateral coordination and cooperation” with the United States. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Washington had provided intelligence support, calling Oseguera “an infamous drug lord” and a major trafficker of fentanyl into the United States. The U.S. ambassador, Ronald Johnson, praised the joint effort.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm and said federal and state forces were fully coordinated, while the Jalisco governor, Pablo Lemus, described the situation as critical and ordered schools closed statewide.

Oseguera had been indicted multiple times in the United States on drug-trafficking charges and was the subject of a $15 million reward. American officials have described his organization as a leading supplier of fentanyl and other narcotics.

Security analysts said the swift, coordinated retaliation underscored the cartel’s operational reach and warned that his death could trigger a violent succession struggle. Eduardo Guerrero, director of Lantia Intelligence, said it remained unclear whether any potential successor had also been killed. “We have to wait to learn the names of those killed to know if there will be a change in leadership,” he said.

Guerrero added that pressure tied to preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which Mexico will co-host, may have accelerated the timing of the operation.

“I think something happened in the last few days that somewhat forced the Mexican government … to make this decision,” Guerrero said, suggesting concerns about tournament security could have played a role.

He added that if criminal groups effectively controlled Guadalajara and surrounding areas, outside officials might have questioned whether matches there should proceed. “It simply wasn’t acceptable to hold matches in a city that was practically taken over by a criminal group, right?” he explained.

Failing to act, he said, would risk signaling weakness in the face of organized crime.