For a long time, Donald Trump dominated the headlines about the 2026 Football World Cup, which will be held in the USA, Mexico and Canada. That changed in February when the killing of the most powerful cartel boss in Mexico triggered a wave of violence. Organized crime has been one of the largest economic sectors in Mexico for decades. More than 130,000 people are considered “disappeared” there. Most of them are young men who have been forcibly recruited and murdered by the drug cartels. Mass graves are repeatedly discovered in Guadalajara, one of three Mexican World Cup locations. And so the cartels are also likely to profit from the World Cup, particularly through the growing demand for prostitution and illegal involvement in construction projects. We want to discuss the background and raise the question: Are World Cup matches in Mexico appropriate and safe? In discussion: Ronny Blaschke, book author and journalist focusing on political issues in football; Dr. Luis Mejía, political scientist and academic