Protesters block World Cup stadium access in Mexico City

Protesters blocked the main entrance to Mexico City's Azteca Stadium just before the World Cup opening match, disrupting access to the venue. The demonstration was organized by a splinter group of the CNTE teachers' union, which began a strike last week. Their demands include higher teacher salaries and the abandonment of a pension reform.

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We want to get to the stadium. The government has given some answers, but they don't help, they aren't satisfactory.

The Mexican government has rejected these demands as unrealistic. To increase pressure, striking teachers erected barricades on the capital's streets. The World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa was scheduled to take place at the Azteca Stadium.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the protest, assuring that the World Cup opening game on Thursday would "guaranteed" proceed. She stated that Mexican authorities would not engage in "any provocation." Ángel Villalobos, a protest leader, said, "We want to get to the stadium. The government has given some answers, but they don't help, they aren't satisfactory." He added that they would continue their fight on the streets.

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The World Cup opening game on Thursday will be guaranteed to take place.

Sheinbaum had previously called the decision of some teachers to camp near the fan zone in the capital "inexplicable" and a "provocation." She suggested it was an attempt to highlight Mexico's poor conditions. The CNTE has called for a mass demonstration on Thursday, which will also include relatives of people who have disappeared after being abducted by criminal gangs. Earlier, on June 1, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a teachers' demonstration near the fan zone on Zócalo Square.

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Mexican authorities will not engage in any provocation.