A 7.3 earthquake hits Mexico-Guatemala border with no immediate damage reported
TAPACHULA,México — A strong earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday, right on the border with Guatemala, and was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador. Authorities did not report any severe damage or casualties in any country. Two people were reported injured in southern Mexico.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 with the epicentre 48 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Aquiles Serdan, near the coast of Chiapas and at a depth of 15 kilometres (9 miles). It was preceded by a smaller quake with an epicentre a bit farther out in the ocean.
There were at least 10 aftershocks between magnitude 4.9 and 6, according to USGS.
In Tapachula, the main city on Mexico’s southern border, the tremor began mildly but gradually intensified.
“We were upstairs on the second floor when it started shaking; we thought it would pass, but then it got stronger, so we all went downstairs and evacuated in an orderly manner to the front courtyard,” Alejandra Mendoza, an administrative employee at a public hospital in the city, explained to The Associated Press.
Demetrio Martinez, head of the city’s Civil Protection agency said that a Haitian migrant woman in her 30s suffered a nervous breakdown and jumped from a height of about four metres (13 feet) from an apartment building. She was taken to a hospital with fractures, but her life is not in danger, the official added. He said that there was another minor injury from a broken window at a nearby business.
In Guatemala City, the earthquake frightened residents because of how long it lasted. Many people poured into the streets in the middle of rush hour as the workday was beginning and several buildings were evacuated.
Guatemala’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) reported no immediate damage. Social media users posted videos of some landslides, especially on roads heading west.
The Ministry of Education suspended in-person classes in the departments of San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Suchitepequez and Retalhuleu, near the quake’s epicenter.
In the Mexican capital, where buildings in certain areas creaked and shook, the earthquake alert did not sound because, the government said, “the energy radiated by the earthquake during the first few seconds did not exceed the activation thresholds.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that preliminary reports showed no damage. The navy recommended staying away from beaches for six hours because of tsunami risk.
The Meteorological Service of Chiapas alerted that there could be tsunami waves up to 1 metre (3.3 feet) off the coast of Mexico and Guatemala.
In the town of Suchiate, located along the river that separates Mexico from Guatemala, coastal areas are being monitored for tsunami risk, according to Mayor Elmer Vazquez Gallardo.
In San Salvador, the earthquake was also felt strongly, but no deaths or damage were reported, although the Ministry of Environment reported another earthquake of lesser intensity off the coast of the department of Usulutan, in the eastern part of the country.
The region is prone to earthquakes, many that can be deadly. Earlier this year, a strong earthquake rattled southern and central Mexico, killing two. Hundreds in Mexico City were killed in a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in 2017.
Mexico not looking to cut side deal with U.S. and leave Canada out, foreign secretary says
Mexico’s foreign secretary says his country isn’t looking to cut a deal with the U.S. if it means abandoning the trilateral trade pact with Canada.
When asked Friday if Mexico would go it alone on a trade deal with the U.S., Roberto Velasco Álvarez shook his head and said all three countries that make up the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) have bilateral issues to work on.
“[CUSMA] is a trilateral agreement, and of course the three countries agree that that architecture should continue,” he said during a joint news conference with Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand in Ottawa on Friday.
Mexico has held a number of official negotiations with the U.S. and appears to be further ahead in trade talks than Canada.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday that formal trade talks with Mexico were progressing, while discussions with Canada had yet to produce concessions sought by President Donald Trump as he pushes to reduce U.S. trade deficits with the two countries.
Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Roberto Velasco Álvarez says while Canada and Mexico each have their own bilateral issues to resolve with the United States, the three countries agree that negotiations on the trilateral Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal should continue.
Canadian officials have downplayed concerns that Mexico is further ahead, arguing that each country has separate concerns to address with the U.S.
Velasco Álvarez echoed that sentiment on Friday and said Canadians shouldn’t read too much into the bilateral discussions.
“Each of us have bilateral issues,” he said. “Each of us is trying to resolve their bilateral issues in their own way.”
Anand said it is “difficult to compare” how bilateral talks with the U.S. are progressing because both Canada and Mexico are discussing different issues with the Americans.
The three countries had until July 1 to publicly declare that they want to extend the deal another 16 years. Both Canada and Mexico called for the extension, while the U.S. said it wants certain provisions reviewed in the meantime.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said just ahead of the July 1 checkpoint that Mexico has formed a common front with Canada during trade talks.
“We have strengthened our relationship with Canada, there are Canadian business investments in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said in June.
Anand announced $12 million in funding on Friday that she said would go toward shared priorities with Mexico, including combatting transnational crime.
During her daily news conference on Wednesday, Sheinbaum pushed back, saying the DEA’s remarks seemed “more like a political statement than one backed by evidence”.
She added that the DEA should focus on combating drug trafficking, distribution and money laundering within its own country. The US, she pointed out, is the world’s largest market for illicit drugs.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly faced accusations under US President Donald Trump that her country is “run” by cartels.
Several Trump officials have mirrored that assertion. On Tuesday, for instance, DEA Administrator Terry Cole said the Mexican government and cartel networks were “one and the same”.
The Mexican government responded by saying Cole’s remarks did not reflect its efforts to work with the US to combat cartels.
It added that Mexico continues to be willing to collaborate with the US to combat crime, as long as its sovereignty was respected.
Since Trump took office for a second term, Sheinbaum has faced pressure from her northern neighbour to crack down on crime in her country.
In response, she has pledged close cooperation with the US, while pushing back against Trump’s militaristic approach to Latin America.
Her administration has repeatedly rejected the prospect of the US conducting military operations on its soil without the federal government’s consent.
Initially, Trump and Sheinbaum appeared to forge warm relations, with the US president praising his Mexican counterpart as “marvellous”.
But Sheinbaum has become increasingly vocal in her criticism of the Trump administration in recent months.
In April, for instance, she rebuked the US for issuing an indictment against Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha, amid allegations his campaign worked with the Sinaloa Cartel to violently influence the 2021 gubernatorial election.
Sheinbaum said no evidence had been produced to back the US’s claim against Rocha. She also argued that rooting out corruption was a domestic issue, not an international one.Earlier this week, Mexico filed criminal complaints with US prosecutors over the deaths of Mexican nationals swept up in Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
Sheinbaum’s remarks on Wednesday came as the US Department of the Treasury announced that two more criminal organisations in Mexico — the Juarez Cartel and Los Viagras — had been designated “foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists”.
The Trump administration has made such designations in the past, as it has sought to frame its actions in Latin America as a war on so-called “narco-terrorists”.
Mexico readies $4 billion in financing to back energy projects
Claudia Sheinbaum. Credit: Secretaría de Cultura Ciudad de México, Wikimedia Commons
Mexican finance officials are exploring the possibility of creating an umbrella-financing package for renewable-energy projects that could be supported by more than $4 billion from development bank Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Publicos, the bank’s head said.
The government is planning to invite more private sector bids to partner with the Comision Federal de Electricidad for renewable energy and storage projects given the interest from global investors in the recent, first tender of such projects by the government, said Jorge Mendoza, the chief executive officer of the bank known as Banobras.
Mexico’s Finance Ministry and Banobras are weighing options such as creating a single vehicle to finance multiple projects, Mendoza said, adding that the government is currently in talks with institutional investors, Mexican pension funds and banks to put together financing.
Mendoza said he expected most of the financing would lined up over the next 12 months, with a chunk done by December this year.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has been ramping up infrastructure projects in the country. Still, plans have been sluggish at times and a robust pipeline of projects hasn’t fully materialized.
Mendoza said the government is now set to announce more power, oil, highway and ports projects over the next six months, benefiting from the country’s push to develop new models for public-private investment efforts.
“Everything that we worked for over the last year-and-a-half, it’s going to start rolling right now,” Mendoza said in an interview from the bank’s headquarters in Mexico City. “We need to make sure that whoever wins, or partners up with the government, has the financing capacity to do so.”
Investors have been putting more money into Mexico’s struggling electricity sector after the government clarified rules earlier this year. Sheinbaum has pivoted toward welcoming private investment in power after the previous administration shuttered an opening in the state-run energy sector.
Banobras will be able to fund as much as 80 billion pesos ($4.6 billion), funneling that money either directly into projects or through the umbrella facility that’s under consideration, Mendoza said. The financing would back the roughly three dozen projects that were awarded last month to 18 companies. Most of those were for solar-energy ventures.
Mendoza said that an umbrella vehicle would reduce costs and streamline due diligence, by piggybacking on the government’s own evaluation of projects. The umbrella vehicle could combine funds from the government, banks and institutional investors, he said.
The group could consider cheaper financing for those sourcing materials, such as machinery or components, locally to help incentivize companies to use Mexican supply chains, he said.
Mendoza also said that Banobras was working with Mexico’s national infrastructure fund, or Fonadin, on 18 highway projects that are estimated to cost around 212 billion pesos. He said he expected to award 13 of those projects before the end of the year, with the others following in the first six months of 2027.
The country has seen more interest in public-private projects than purely private energy ventures, he said.
“Private players are seeing it as a way to mitigate risks — regulation risk, judicial risk — if you partner up with the government,” he said.
Mendoza said major global funds were seeing past the noise of US trade talks and geopolitical risks that have weighed on investments. There had been a drought of projects under the past administration, and now the new efforts by the government to accommodate private capital is drawing major investors back.
“They want to take the opportunity of doing things now before the risks disappear,” Mendoza said. “I’m sure that Mexico is going to end up in a much better place than many other countries in terms of trade with the US, regional integration and competitiveness. And once there’s no risks, then there’s going to be many more players coming into Mexico and then you lose the timing and advantage of being early.”
Mexico to request criminal charges over deaths following fatal shooting of Houston man by ICE agents
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico will request criminal charges over 17 Mexicans who died in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations by the Trump administration, officials said Thursday.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco’s announcement Thursday morning further escalated tensions with the United States, as Mexico’s government has sharply criticized the treatment of its citizens under U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to increase deportations.
The request, which carries no legal weight, will be submitted to state prosecutors’ offices and the U.S. Department of Justice, asking them to consider criminal charges against those responsible for the deaths.
It will be accompanied by civil lawsuits against the companies that operate the detention centers in an effort to put an end to human rights violations in those facilities, Velasco said.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that Mexico decided to “move beyond diplomatic channels” and escalate its complaints after an ICE agent killed Mexican citizen Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston this week. Sheinbaum said the killing “is not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted.”
“We are going to do everything in our power, because we cannot stand silent” in the face of the deaths of Mexicans “whose only crime is working honestly in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
Salgado Araujo had been living in the country for decades. He was transporting a work crew to a housing construction site when he was shot. His family demanded a thorough investigation into what happened.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, agents were pursuing him because he was living in the country without legal authorization. Salgado Araujo, the department added, was shot after disregarding orders and attempting to ram an agent, who fired his weapon in self-defense.
According to the Mexican government, 14 Mexicans have died while in ICE custody and 3 during ICE operations.
Until now, the Mexican government had supported the victims’ families, sent diplomatic notes to Washington demanding investigations, and raised the issue with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Sheinbaum earlier this year ordered consulates to regularly check in with ICE detainees, and her government even lodged a complaint with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Mexico has launched an investigation into whether the US lied about its involvement in the capture and secretive transfer of a top Sinaloa cartel member in 2024, in what would be a potential violation of the country’s sovereignty.
The US has long denied it played any role in the operation to detain the drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, a founder of the Sinaloa cartel, inside Mexico. Recent reporting by the local media outlet Pie de Nota, however, suggested that the FBI was involved in his capture.
“If recent reports are confirmed,” said the Mexico attorney general, Ernestina Godoy, on Wednesday, “then all signs point to three serious issues: a series of violations of Mexican and international law; a pact made outside the bounds of the law; and a lie told by a US diplomat, which would constitute a breach of the cornerstone principle of good faith in diplomatic relations.”
“The issue here is whether there was a violation of sovereignty,” said the president, Claudia Sheinbaum, at a news conference on Thursday.
Although the incident took place under the previous administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the row comes at an extremely delicate moment in US-Mexico relations.
Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch a ground invasion in Mexico to attack the drug cartels, ratcheting up fears for Mexican sovereignty. Meanwhile, in April, reports emerged that several CIA agents had been involved in a raid on a drug lab in northern Mexico, apparently without the approval or knowledge of the federal government.
Now, the potential direct involvement of a US agency in an operation on Mexican soil has again stirred fears over the presence of American operatives in Mexico.
In July 2024, Zambada García was tricked by fellow trafficker Joaquín Guzmán López, whose father was the drug lord known as “El Chapo”, into getting on a small plane inside Mexico and flying into Texas, where US authorities arrested them both at an airport near El Paso.
Mexico has questioned Washington numerous times about what role it played, and complained of being kept in the dark. The American ambassador at the time, Ken Salazar, insisted that the US was not involved.
After Mexican authorities insinuated Salazar had lied, the former ambassador on Wednesday reiterated his position: “It was not our plane, not our pilot, and not our operation,” he wrote on X. “La verdad es la verdad, the truth is the truth.”
But the plane in which the traffickers traveled was recently put on display in the War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. A plaque next to the plane shared on social media notes that two FBI agents “successfully executed a highly complex, secretive and daring arrest of two of the world’s most wanted fugitives”.
Godoy said Mexican officials had attempted to inspect the plane in August 2024 but were barred from doing a thorough inspection or taking photographs. The Americans, she said, had also “provided false or inaccurate identification data for that aircraft”.
U.S. Declines to Renew Trade Pact With Mexico And Canada. Here’s What It Means for Each Country
Six years ago, President Donald Trump stood at the White House and celebrated the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement he signed as the “largest, fairest, most balanced, and modern trade agreement ever achieved.” On Wednesday, his Administration declined to renew the pact in its current form, opening a decade-long review process that threatens to inject fresh uncertainty into one of the world’s most deeply integrated economic relationships.
The decision, announced by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, does not terminate the agreement that governs nearly $2 trillion in annual trade among the three countries. Goods will continue to move across borders largely as before, and negotiators are expected to keep working on revisions in the months ahead.
But the move marks a striking reversal for a President who once made the agreement a centerpiece of his economic agenda, and it raises new questions about the future of a trading bloc that supports millions of jobs and underpins industries ranging from automobiles to agriculture.
Trade experts tell TIME that the move could carry profound long-term consequences, creating the kind of uncertainty that discourages investment, complicates supply chains and, over time, raises costs for consumers whose cars, groceries, and household goods depend on tightly interconnected North American production networks.
“The practical impact immediately is very little,” says Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council. “The truth, however, is that it creates uncertainty over the long-term viability of USMCA.”
Under the agreement’s terms, the three countries had until July 1 to agree to extend the pact for another 16 years. Canada and Mexico favored doing so, but the United States did not. A senior U.S. official says that Washington wants to address what it views as shortcomings in the deal, particularly America’s trade deficits with its neighbors and market access opportunities in areas like dairy and corn.
“Our trade deficits with both Mexico and Canada shot up during the Biden Administration,” the official says. “We’ve started to get it under control, thankfully, but we believe that the USMCA does not operate to control the deficit like the President intended.”
The agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, has made the economies of the three countries more integrated than at any point in their history. Last year, U.S. exports to Canada and Mexico exceeded $670 billion, compared with about $106 billion in exports to China, according to U.S. government statistics.
Trade policy experts say the biggest risk is not an immediate economic shock, but a prolonged period of ambiguity. Companies typically approach investment decisions with a long-term forecast, especially in manufacturing industries where factories and supply chains can take years to build. Annual reviews and the possibility of additional tariffs, they say, could cause businesses to postpone expansion plans, slow hiring and reconsider where they invest.
“The longer it goes on, the more uncertainty there will be, so the less incentives there will be to invest,” says Diego Marroquín Bitar, a trade expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Companies with operations across North America, he says, may delay expansions or hiring as questions about the agreement’s future linger.
Alfredo Carrillo Obregón, a trade policy analyst at the Cato Institute, says that while the failure to renew the pact is “not a doomsday scenario,” uncertainty itself carries costs for economies that have spent three decades building integrated supply chains under first NAFTA and then USMCA. “These are America’s neighbors, their largest and closest trading partners,” he says. If negotiations prolong, or the U.S. threatens to withdraw from the agreement or impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada, “it would send a pretty negative message on the reliability of the U.S. as a trading partner.”
Millions of jobs across the three countries depend on trade within North America.
Marroquín Bitar estimates that somewhere between 8-13 million American jobs are supported by trade with Mexico and Canada. The three countries, he argues, function not only as trading partners but as a single production platform and food system, with affordable products relying on Mexican labor, Canadian oil, and American manufacturing.
The Trump Administration says it wants to modernize the agreement to address challenges that have emerged since its creation, particularly China’s growing role in global supply chains. Officials have proposed stricter rules requiring more American-made content in automobiles and new measures limiting Chinese inputs and investment in North America.
Lipsky says those concerns reflect how dramatically the global economy has evolved since both NAFTA and USMCA were negotiated. “What they’re trying to deal with now is how you address the fact that the global economy has changed so much,” he says, citing concerns that Chinese companies could use Mexico as a gateway into the American market.
The agreement has also become increasingly important in shielding North American trade from Trump’s broader tariff agenda, as USMCA imports were largely exempted from tariffs. According to the Tax Foundation, compliance with USMCA rules rose from 44% of eligible imports in 2024 to 67% in 2025 and has remained above 80% this year, allowing a large share of trade to avoid higher tariffs. The organization estimates that eliminating those exemptions entirely would raise taxes by $466 billion between 2027 and 2036, amounting to roughly $300 per U.S. household in 2027, while reducing economic output and costing the equivalent of 95,000 full-time jobs.
For now, few experts expect such an outcome. But if the agreement were ever to unravel completely, consumers would likely feel the consequences quickly through higher prices on cars, food, and other everyday products that currently move freely across North American borders.
“You’d feel it in car prices, you’d feel it in agricultural products,” Lipsky says. “But that’s not imminent, and it’s not the most likely scenario.”
Still, economists warn that uncertainty itself can reshape the global balance of power. A less integrated North American market could encourage Canada and Mexico to diversify their trading relationships elsewhere, including with Europe, Brazil and, potentially, China. “Who is the winner of a less integrated, less competitive North American market? China,” Marroquín Bitar states.
Here is what the Trump Administration’s decision means for the United States, Canada, and Mexico—and why economists say uncertainty itself could prove to be the most consequential outcome:
United States
For the United States, the Administration’s decision reflects Trump’s broader effort to rebuild domestic manufacturing and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains. The White House wants new rules that would require half of a vehicle’s components to come specifically from the United States, while raising overall North American content requirements beyond the current 75% threshold, according to the Wall Street Journal. Officials are also pushing Canada and Mexico to restrict Chinese imports and investment.
The Administration argues that this “America first” agenda would bring jobs back to U.S. factories and strengthen economic security. Yet American businesses have warned that the transition could be difficult. Automakers including General Motors and Ford Motor Company operate supply chains that stretch across all three countries, with parts frequently crossing borders multiple times before final assembly.
“The way that we keep autos affordable is because they get access to Mexican labor, to Canadian aluminum, to Canadian oil,” Marroquín Bitar says.
A prolonged period of uncertainty could undermine the very investment needed to expand domestic manufacturing capacity, according to trade experts. If negotiations ultimately produce more barriers within North America, consumers could eventually face higher prices on everything from vehicles to household goods. And politically, affordability has become a central concern for American voters. “Creating more frictions between the three countries is going to make things more expensive in the U.S.,” Marroquín Bitar says. “That’s the ultimate consequence.”
Canada
Canada, whose economy depends heavily on exports to the United States, may face some of the greatest challenges from prolonged negotiations. Lipsky says Canada enters the talks in a weaker position than Mexico after a year of tensions that included tariffs, retaliatory measures, and Trump’s repeated suggestions that Canada could become the “51st state.”
The two countries continue to dispute issues ranging from Canadian dairy protections to U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum, and softwood lumber. At the same time, Canadian officials worry that Washington and Mexico could strike agreements on key issues before it has fully entered negotiations, leaving Canada with fewer options.
Trade experts say that even if USMCA survives, Canada is likely to continue seeking other economic partners. More than 75% of Canadian exports go to the United States. But recent volatility, Lipsky says, has convinced many policymakers that such dependence may no longer be sustainable in the long run.
In January, with U.S.-Canada relations at their lowest point in modern history, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with China’s President Xi Jinping to forge what he called a “new strategic partnership” to end Canada’s economic reliance on the American market. While meeting with Canada’s second-largest export market, Carney agreed to cut his country’s 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, including canola seeds, a major Canadian export.
“No matter what, Canada and Mexico will look at other countries right now,” he says. “Canada’s already signaled some of this, because they feel that no matter what happens, even if USMCA is renewed, there’s been so much volatility and uncertainty and antagonism in the trading relationship, they don’t feel like they can be overly dependent on the U.S. in the long term, which they are.”
Some industries are particularly exposed. Canada’s heavy crude oil sector, for example, depends on American refineries that have spent decades building infrastructure designed specifically to process Canadian supplies. Finding alternative markets would be far more difficult than in other sectors.
Mexico
Mexico has made preserving USMCA a top priority. The United States is both Mexico’s largest export destination and one of its most important suppliers, supporting industries from automobiles to electronics and agriculture.
Mexican officials have sought to maintain tariff-free access wherever possible while proposing ways to deepen North American manufacturing and reduce dependence on Asia. Mexico has also already increased tariffs on some Chinese imports, reflecting Washington’s growing emphasis on limiting China’s role in regional supply chains.
“Part of what is being sought in this renegotiation is precisely to limit access for products made outside the North American region,” Carrillo Obregón says.
Yet Mexico also faces significant risks if uncertainty persists. Its manufacturing sector relies heavily on long-term investment decisions by multinational companies, and its economy remains more dependent on American demand than the United States is on Mexican markets.
At the same time, Mexico has pursued deeper trade relationships with the European Union and Brazil, creating alternatives should North American ties weaken.
Still, economists argue that no bilateral arrangement or outside partnership could fully replicate the advantages of a unified continental market. The reason USMCA exists, Lipsky says, is that the economies have become too interconnected to function through simple one-on-one agreements.
Yet the prolonged uncertainty is already prompting Canada and Mexico to consider how much they can afford to depend on a single market. Both countries have explored new trade relationships elsewhere, even as their economic futures remain deeply tied to the United States.
“All this uncertainty and everything that happened last year with the tariffs doesn’t really make the case that the U.S. is a particularly reliable trading partner at this point,” says Carrillo Obregón. “But both countries are still pretty vested in this relationship.”
The green, white and red colors of the Mexican flag are blanketing parts of Mexico City as the country’s capital gets ready to host the opening match of the World Cup this Thursday.
From stores selling the bright green soccer jerseys of Mexico’s national team to digital billboards promoting the matches, it seems everyone is eager to cash in on the tournament.
By one estimate, the country could generate roughly $3.7 billion (MX$65 billion) in revenue from the event, with tourism alone projected to bring in almost half that amount to Mexico City.
Here’s a look at which businesses stand to benefit and who could be left out.
Tourist-friendly businesses
The influx of World Cup fans is slowly starting to generate profit for businesses in tourist hotspots, workers and entrepreneurs say, and is expected to bring in even more after the tournament starts on June 11.
In Mexico City’s main plaza El Zocalo, shops, kiosks and restaurants are filled with colorful (though “unofficial”) World Cup memorabilia.
Merchants are selling everything from soccer ball key chains to plush toys of Mexican presidents wearing the national team’s jersey.
The restaurant Salon Corona, one of the most popular places to watch a soccer match, is already full of customers and manager Miguel Laguna expects to see 45-50% more during the month-long tournament.
Between the metropolitan cathedral and presidential palace, Juan Carlos, one of the city’s many organ grinders, says tourists are starting to arrive from the world over.
“We are here because this part of the city, the barrel organ, is a classic of the city,” he said dressed in the iconic beige uniform and kepi cap that the street performers are famous for.
In a quiet residential area to the south, Alejandro Gonzalez says his restaurant Garage Burger also expects business to boom once the tournament gets going, despite being in a “less touristy area.”
Like other businesses in town, he’s running promotions and putting up sports-themed decorations like football-shaped balloons and ice coolers to attract customers.
“It’s like I tell people, we have to seize that moment,” he said.
Cartels and scammers
Cartels and organized criminal networks are also expected to benefit.
One of their most profitable strategies this summer will be extortion, security analysts say. They expect World Cup tourists will mostly be spared – but the businesses fans frequent are likely to be targeted.
In resort towns like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, which are not hosting matches but are expected to benefit from day-tripping fans, criminals have a history of extorting restaurants, night clubs and hotels, taking a chunk of the revenue they generate from tourists.
“These local businesses have become highly profitable, especially for localized organized crime groups,” said Victoria Dittmar, a senior researcher for the think tank InSight Crime in Mexico.
Criminals are also expected to profit from scams and cyberfraud, according to officials.
One of the biggest concerns is that scammers will try to rip off fans with the sale of counterfeit items and services, including tickets to the 13 matches Mexico will host. They could also develop fake apps and websites that promise live broadcasts of matches but are actually used to install malware on users’ devices, officials warn.
“The purpose of these platforms is not to provide entertainment, but to compromise the personal and financial information of victims through tools capable of stealing banking credentials, monitoring device activity, or integrating it into bot networks used for illicit activities,” the Mexican government said.
Other potential scams include fake hospitality packages, rentals and merchandise, officials and researchers have said.
The government has issued several notices, warning the public to avoid unreliable third-party vendors and to only buy from official or accredited sources.
Who’s losing out?
While some Mexicans are thrilled that the World Cup is returning to their country, others say they’re still not seeing the benefits.
In El Zocalo, kiosk manager Nayeli says small businesses like hers could be pushed to the side, despite being in a prime location.
World Cup organizers have set up a “fan fest” zone in the plaza, with a giant screen, stage and market booths with licensed vendors.
Nayeli worries that events like these could cause street closures, limiting the flow of customers to her business, which she said has happened before during large concerts held in El Zocalo.
Sergio, who works at an agency that organizes tours and expeditions for visitors, says businesses around El Zocalo have at times been disrupted by nearby protests held by a teacher’s union demanding better pay.
Meanwhile, some hotels and rental apartments say they aren’t seeing the boom they had hoped for.
While Airbnb claims that demand for accommodation during the World Cup has already exceeded expectations, hoteliers and some hosts on the platform have described a more moderate scenario: reservations exist but they’re nowhere near what they had imagined.
“The World Cup isn’t having an impact,” said Elisa Rugarcia, a co-host who manages six properties in some of Mexico City’s most sought-after areas for foreign tourists. “I expected to be practically fully booked throughout June, and that’s not happening.”
Other residents claim enthusiasm for the tournament is lacking nationwide, despite officials portraying the mood as festive.
Some of those who have experienced World Cups in the past say this one appears muted because of ongoing security concerns, the fact that Mexico is only hosting 13 of the 104 matches, and rising costs resulting from the tournament.
A broader complaint across Mexico is that the working class is being priced out. Tickets are so expensive that few people in Mexico will be able to attend a match, despite living in a co-host country. They say the tournament will primarily be enjoyed by a few privileged Mexicans but mainly by an overwhelming number of foreigners.
When FIFA released a second round of tickets in April, prices for the first game in Mexico, on June 11, ranged from $3,000 to $10,000. The general minimum wage in Mexico is roughly $18 a day.
When asked about the ticket prices in Mexico, FIFA said it had “established a ticket sales and secondary market model that reflects standard ticket market practices for major sporting and entertainment events across the host countries.”
“Too high, at least for the average Mexican it’s going to be impossible to attend a game,” said Gonzalez of Garage Burger.
One of his workers, Diego, said more Mexicans should get to be a part of the event.
“I feel there should be at least some pressure from the government to present local people with diverse options to witness this. Ultimately, it’s something that’s affecting us all, and it’s something we should also be able to enjoy.”
He’s everywhere: around the stadiums, in the streets, having a beer at bars. The anonymous masked wrestler has become one of the defining images of the World Cup in Mexico, often found in throngs of fellow lucha libre aficionados.
Travelers from all over the world have succumbed to the magic of the sport, which, alongside soccer, is a national passion. Inside the fortress of wrestling, they forget about soccer fever for a few hours to experience a unique night. As Spain faced Uruguay in an agonizing match in Guadalajara, tens of thousands of fans tuned in to another spectacular showdown: Místico and Máscara Dorada against The Beast Mortos and Sammy Guevara at the iconic Arena México, also known as the cathedral of lucha libre.
“It was simply fantastic, we enjoyed it immensely,” said Andy Winston, a Manchester native who has traveled with his family to all three World Cup host countries — Canada, the United States and, now, Mexico — while supporting England. “You can’t come to Mexico and not come to watch lucha libre. It’s a great tradition, a classic.”
In the stands, fans cheered and supported their favorites, sporting jerseys from various national teams: England, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Colombia, Spain and, of course, Mexico. “It was a wonderful night, much better than I imagined,” said Henrique Nunes dos Santos, from Brazil. “You connect with the spectacle in a way that makes it all seem real. … There’s a gigantic energy.”
Wrestling, with Mexican DNA
The origins of Mexican lucha libre date back to the beginning of the 20th century. Its style fuses techniques from American wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling with aerial acrobatics and performance elements. Soon, this unique combination forged its own identity and become part of the country’s DNA. It was declared part of Mexico City’s cultural heritage in 2018.
“Lucha libre is in our roots. For almost 93 years, it has been part of us Mexicans and has also become a calling card for Mexicans,” explained Julio César Rivera, spokesperson for the World Wrestling Council.
The matches are based on the eternal struggle between good — also known as the técnicos — and evil, which in the ring takes the form of the “rudos” (bad guys). In the ring, they blend sport, theater and tradition, most notably through the use of the iconic masks.
The masks are often vibrant and colorful but sometimes intimidating, depicting superheroes, animals or other symbolic figures. More than simply concealing the wrestler’s face, they embody the alter ego, cultural heritage, and mystical power within the ring. As a result, each mask is meticulously designed to convey a distinctive visual language rich in personal and cultural significance.
“Lucha libre is my life,” said the 30-year-old wrestler known as Star Black. As a child, he helped his grandparents sell masks in a small local business. “I started to fall in love with the masks, the capes, the aerial maneuvers, the moves of lucha libre, and one day I decided to train.” Then he became an idol himself.
Soccer fans succumb to the magic of the ring
While lucha libre is already a popular attraction among tourists visiting Mexico, the arrival of the world’s biggest soccer event has seen masks and impromptu fights spill out from the ring.
Amid skyrocketing prices elsewhere, Mexico has become a popular hub for tourists to stay before traveling to watch their team playing in other host countries, according to José Ángel Garfias Frías, an expert in lucha libre at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
“Lucha libre was already popular, but now with the World Cup, the arenas are much more crowded, and we see many tourists there wearing their jerseys and shirts of their respective national teams,” Garfias said.
The two national sports have shared a close relationship for decades, Garfias said. One of the best-known examples is Argentine soccer player Gabriel Pereyra, who was known for wearing Místico’s mask after scoring for the Mexican club Cruz Azul. In the ring, figures like América Salvaje also stand out. The iconic 1970s wrestler, inspired by Club América, wore a mask featuring the team’s colors.
“Lucha libre is Mexico. It’s part of our identity. And it’s as popular as soccer,” said Claudio Díaz, one of the many masked men who took to the streets of the capital to celebrate Mexico’s second victory and advancement to the knockout round.
And, despite soccer remaining the country’s absolute passion, for many, lucha libre is a truer reflection with fervent fans of all types paying regular Friday night visits.
“I feel that soccer doesn’t represent us Mexicans as much; lucha libre represents us way more,” said wrestler Dragón Legendario. “People from all walks of life come here: from grandmothers to businessmen to the women who run small restaurants — it has all kinds of fans.”
President Donald Trump, who negotiated the USMCA during his first presidential term as a replacement for NAFTA, praised it at the time. Negotiations on whether to extend the agreement are likely to stretch past a key July 1 deadline.
The Trump administration is pushing up against a July 1 deadline to renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). President Donald Trump’s public remarks are leading to fears among some Texas businesses that he could pull the U.S. out of the agreement.
When Trump negotiated the USMCA during his first term as president, to serve as a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), he called it the “fairest, most balanced, and beneficial trade agreement we have ever signed into law.” But last week, he said he’d rather see it terminated than renew it.
“I would rather not have the agreement,” Trump told reporters. “I may sign it, but we do better as a country if we don’t have an agreement.”
Michelle Schulz, a Dallas-based trade attorney, said she believes U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is less eager to withdraw from the USMCA than the president. But the decision is ultimately Trump’s.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the president did something dramatic and decided to terminate the agreement. I’m ready for anything, but it would not be helpful for our U.S. importers,” Schulz said. “In fact, it would cause a great deal more disruption than the tariffs have already caused, in my opinion as a trade lawyer.”
Schulz anticipates trade negotiations will continue past the July 1 deadline. If the deadline passes without a new agreement, the existing pact will expire in 10 years.
“Any of the three parties can withdraw at any time with notice,” Schulz said. “So, if the president decides that he does want to withdraw entirely, he can give prior notice, and we may see within the year that we give notice of withdrawal. Hopefully, that’s not the case.”
Trade, particularly trade with Mexico, is a major driver of the Texas economy. Texas has been the United States’ top exporting state for 22 consecutive years, and Mexico has been the state’s leading trade partner for at least the past 17 years.
“The USMCA is not simply a trade agreement; it is a supply chain agreement,” said Margaret Kidd, who chairs the logistics and supply chain management department at San Jacinto College. “It helps connect producers, processors, transportation networks, and consumers across North America, supporting economic resilience throughout multiple sectors but extremely relevant for agricultural groups and the automotive sectors.”
Schulz said the energy sector would be especially vulnerable if Trump were to pull the U.S. out of the USMCA. Minerals and fuel oil account for the largest share of Texas’ exports to Mexico, having topped $34 billion in 2024.
“The way that the USMCA allows cross-border energy investment to flow freely and to allow electricity, natural gas, all those investments to flow freely right now, is really critical for manufacturing,” Schulz said. “And when you think about energy grids, data centers, those kinds of things, we would face even greater uncertainty with regard to expanding in those areas in Texas and elsewhere. And so, threatening our relationship with Mexico in that area, it really threatens our ability to advance in energy here in Texas.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her country seeks to restart oil shipments to Cuba soon, a move that could provide much-needed relief as the island’s crises deepen given a lack of petroleum.
Sheinbaum said her administration would seek to send the oil via commercial and privately owned firms instead of state-owned companies as it has done in the past.
Mexico became a key fuel supplier to Cuba after the U.S. attacked Venezuela in early January and halted critical oil shipments. But those shipments, which had already been reduced, were completely suspended after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that provides or sells oil to the island.
Since the attack on Venezuela, only one oil shipment has reached Cuba, courtesy of a Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of oil that were used up in one month.
The lack of fuel has worsened an energy crisis on the island that produces only 40% of the petroleum it needs, leading to severe power outages, reduced work hours, water shortages, suspended surgeries and spoiled food.
Sheinbaum said she wants to take advantage of a package of free-market reforms that Cuba’s government recently approved, leveraging Mexican business owners who are already on the island.
“The mechanism would be through private companies that have permits to transport fuel to Cuba,” she stated without providing further details. “We hope that commercial transport can resume soon,” she added, without specifying when it might happen.
Sheinbaum said Mexico also would continue sending humanitarian aid.
Mexico beats Czech Republic to win all three World Cup group-stage matches for first time
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre has been saying for a while now that the key to his players’ success at the World Cup is that they are a family. This family, it seems, is on a historic journey.
Mateo Chávez and Julián Quiñones scored in a six-minute span early in the second half, and Mexico beat the Czech Republic 3-0 on Wednesday to complete wins in all three of its World Cup group-stage matches for the first time.
The 22-year-old Chávez, in his first World Cup, opened the scoring in the 55th minute and Quiñones scored his second goal of the tournament in the 61st. Alvaro Fidalgo added a goal in stoppage time.
“It was something very beautiful, and I’ll take it with me to the grave,” Chávez said of his goal. “I imagined it many times; I dreamed of this.”
Mexico’s previous best group-stage performance was two wins and one draw, done in 1986 and 2002 and both featuring Aguirre, the first as a midfielder and the second as El Tri’s coach. Aguirre is now in his third stint leading the national team.
After topping Group A, Mexico will play again at Estadio Azteca on Tuesday in a round-of-32 match against an opponent to be determined.
“Now comes the knockout stage; statistics and data don’t matter. We’re achieving things, but what lies ahead is what counts,” Aguirre said. “Neither the players nor I dwell on what we’ve just done; we’re thinking about what’s next.”
Mexico is undefeated at nine World Cup matches at the massive stadium, which was packed with 80,824 fans on Wednesday. El Tri has only two losses at Azteca, most recently in World Cup qualifying against Honduras on Sept. 6, 2013.
The match Wednesday included nods to Mexico’s past and future. Gilberto Mora, at 17, became the youngest Mexico player to start in a World Cup. And 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa entered in the 77th minute, joining Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to appear in six World Cups.
“It’s like a dream come true after everything I’ve worked for,” Mora said.
“Now we have tough opponents ahead,” he added. “We’re going to keep working to stay on this path. We want to keep advancing because the Mexican national team can become champion.”
Mexico’s triumph was marred, however, by the return of a homophobic chant by fans that has previously led to fines and other sanctions against its soccer federation. The chant, a one-word slur, was heard near the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar took a goal kick.
The Czech Republic was eliminated, finishing with one point in three games.
Mexico is unbeaten in 11 games dating to a friendly loss against Panama last November. And Aguirre has made the most of his roster, using 25 of 26 players in the tournament. Chávez was one of five starters Wednesday who didn’t start in the previous win over South Korea.
“Twenty-five of the 26 have played — that is no small detail — nor is it a small detail that everyone celebrates the goals,” Aguirre said.
Ochoa makes history in his likely farewell
Ochoa, who wears No. 13, played the last 13 minutes in regulation, plus stoppage time, in what’s likely to be his last appearance for Mexico. He turns 41 on July 13 and plans to retire from international competition after the World Cup.
“Life — football — had this farewell in store for me, to cap it all off perfectly. For my part, I’ve left it all out there; I gave everything,” Ochoa said. “I leave with nothing left because I poured it all into my teams and the national squad.”
He was a substitute in the 2006 and 2010 tournaments and started for Mexico in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
“I felt Memo had to play (but) for how long? I never knew until I said, ‘This is the moment,’” Aguirre said. “These are coaching decisions, but it was a night for Mexico to honor its legend, Memo.”
Raúl Rangel is the starter this year, stepping in for the injured Luis Ángel Malagón, who helped Mexico win the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup last year. Malagón’s injury opened the door for Ochoa’s return.
Ochoa became the oldest Mexican to play in the World Cup. The previous record holder was Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who was 37 when he played in South Africa in 2014.
After the match, the veteran goalkeeper kissed the goal post before kneeling down and was hugged by the rest of the squad.
“Regarding Memo’s appearance, we don’t know if he’s going to say goodbye or not, but it was a nice tribute for his six World Cups,” Aguirre said. “He is a legend — he is Mexican.”