Families of disappeared play soccer to highlight crisis during World Cup

Amidst the international spotlight of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, families of disappeared persons in Mexico staged an informal soccer match, known locally as a 'cascarita,' to draw attention to the country's ongoing crisis of missing people. Participants wore jerseys emblazoned with the faces of their loved ones, many bearing messages such as 'Mexico champion in disappearances' and 'Where are they? +133,000 people disappeared.'

The event, titled 'Cascarita for Memory and Against Oblivion,' was organized by families seeking to make the crisis visible while global attention is focused on the World Cup being held in North America. A pink axolotl inflatable, a symbol of Mexico City, was present, carrying a banner that read '83,000 bodies and unidentified remains' and holding a shovel, symbolizing the search efforts undertaken by families across the country.

This soccer match follows other protests held during the World Cup's opening week, where thousands attempted to reach the Mexico City Stadium but were blocked by police. For months, these collectives had planned actions around the World Cup, intending to form human chains at the stadium's entrances to show fans and international media the scale of the crisis.

Mexico currently has over 133,000 missing persons, according to the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons. The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances has sought to bring Mexico's alarming disappearance situation to the UN General Assembly, deeming them 'crimes against humanity,' a classification that the Mexican federal government has repeatedly rejected.