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Four professional soccer matches in Mexico were postponed on Sunday after violence broke out near Guadalajara, one of the country’s host cities for the 2026 World Cup, in the wake of a military operation that killed cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho.”
Liga MX officials removed two top-flight fixtures from the schedule – Queretaro’s matchup against Juarez FC in the men’s league and the women’s clash between Chivas and América – and also canceled two second division contests amid safety concerns.
There was a disruption in operations early in the day in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about two hours southwest of Guadalajara. Mexican authorities said Oseguera, a former police officer who had risen to lead the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), was killed during the operation.
In the aftermath, vehicles were set on fire and highways were blocked in about a dozen Mexican states, according to officials.
Major drug lord ‘El Mencho’ killed in Mexican military operation with US intelligence assistance
Vehicles pass a burning bus being used as a roadblock by organized crime following a federal operation in which Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, commonly known as “El Mencho”, was killed. (Gabriel Trujillo/Reuters)
Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, is scheduled to host four matches during the 2026 World Cup, including two involving South Korea. Mexico, Spain, Uruguay and Colombia are also scheduled to play at the venue.
The Mexico national team is set to host Iceland in a friendly match at the Corregidora Stadium in Queretaro on Wednesday. As of Sunday, the Mexican Football Federation had not announced any changes to that match.
Not all sporting events were affected. Organizers of the Mexican Open in Acapulco said the ATP tournament will start as planned on Monday at the GNP Arena.
“The tournament is continuing to operate as normal,” tournament organizers said in a statement.
Oseguera had a bounty of US$15 million and rose to prominence after the arrest of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Over the past decade and a half, the CJNG has expanded from a regional criminal group into a global trafficking network, operating from its stronghold in Jalisco across much of Mexico.
A burned vehicle, used as a barricade by members of organized crime, is in Guadalajara, Mexico, following a series of arrests by federal forces. (Michel Freria/Reuters)
“I have just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed ‘El Mencho’, one of the bloodiest and most brutal drug lords,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on Twitter.
The Mexican Defense Department stated that the operation was conducted as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the US, and US officials provided supplementary intelligence that contributed to the killing of El Mencho.
Following El Mencho’s death, cartel members burned cars and blocked roads in nearly a dozen Mexican states.
Mexican seaside resort tells tourists to stay put as government warns of ‘conflict’
A soldier guards a burnt vehicle after it caught fire in Cointezo, Michoacán state, Mexico. (AP Photo/Armando Solis)
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The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación is considered the most powerful cartel in Mexico, with an estimated 19,000 members and operations in 21 of the country’s 32 states.
The Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
