Shakira and Burna Boy kicked off the 2026 Fifa World Cup in style in Mexico City as the tournament began with a star-studded opening ceremony. But as the party got under way, Guadalajara was preparing to host matches and thousands of fans while struggling to bury a dark past — one that cartel violence has turned into a crisis of disappeared people. The city is the epicentre of the missing persons catastrophe, where the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel has killed and buried victims in unmarked graves. Their families now fear that World Cup fever will overshadow their crucial search.
On the pitch, Mexico kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa in a game that saw three red cards — two of them controversial. Next up in Group A is South Korea vs Czechia, as Son Heung-min enters his fourth World Cup.
“World Cup begins in Mexico amid missing persons crisis as Scotland fans face flight cancellation”
But for thousands of Scotland supporters heading Stateside for the men's national team’s first World Cup appearance in 28 years, the journey hit a snag. An Edinburgh flight bound for Chicago was cancelled amid a technical issue, leaving Tartan Army members scrambling for alternatives just as the tournament’s opening game got under way.