The 2026 FIFA World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, 456 bags of human remains have been discovered around the Akron Stadium, one of the host stadiums in Mexico. Many of the victims had been dead for less than a year.
The Akron Stadium, located in Sabopan, near Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, began construction in 2004 and officially opened on July 30, 2010. Inspired by the shape of a volcano, the stadium can hold nearly 50,000 people and is one of the main venues for the 2026 World Cup. In 2022, workers first discovered 290 bags of human remains at a residential development site. Since then, missing persons search groups have found a total of 456 bags of human remains around the stadium.
Reports indicate that the remains include intact bodies, dismembered bodies, and bone fragments, scattered in several secret cemeteries and abandoned areas within a 10-20 kilometer radius of the stadium. Many of the victims had been dead for less than a year. Search groups accused local governments of hastily closing the investigation to “beautify” the World Cup image.
This incident has sparked international concern, questioning security during the World Cup, but FIFA and the Mexican government insist on holding four group stage matches and playoffs at the stadium.
According to a previous report by Reference News, citing a June 1, 2023 report by the German Press Agency (dpa), Mexican prosecutors said they found 45 bags containing body parts while searching for seven missing young people in the Guadalajara region.
Reports indicate that Mexico has experienced massive violence since the start of the “war on drugs” in late 2006.
According to official statistics, 31,936 people were killed in Mexico in 2022. The report states that most of the violence in Mexico is linked to drug cartels and gangs, some of which are connected to security forces. The western Mexican state of Jalisco, whose capital is Guadalajara, is considered particularly dangerous.