The mass cartel grave sites where hundreds of human remains have been discovered… in Mexican city due to host World Cup matches
As Mexico prepares to host this year’s FIFA World Cup matches, football fans are increasingly weary of visiting the country, which has been hit by a wave of violence following the capture and killing of a powerful cartel leader.
The Mexican military killed Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes (better known as ‘El Mencho’), leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, on Sunday, effectively decapitating Mexico’s most powerful cartel.
The murder sparked an increase in violence and put the country, already grappling with bloody cartel wars, on edge.
The country faces increasing pressure ahead of its role in the upcoming World Cup amid chaos where cartel fighters have blocked roads, burned vehicles and attacked security forces.
Last year, hundreds of human remains were discovered within a 10-kilometer radius of the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, one of the three sports arenas in the state of Jalisco that will host four matches in the 2026 World Cup.
The discoveries were first made last February, when construction workers building a housing estate found plastic bags containing human remains.
In late March, a civil activist group uncovered a cartel’s secret burial site, also in Jalisco.
Video footage shows searchers digging through the ground of the property in Teuchitlan.
Just a few months ago, dozens of human remains were discovered within a 10-mile radius of Akron Stadium in Guadalajara (pictured)
Aerial view of the area where the secret tomb known as “Las Agujas” contained 227 bags containing human remains, the biggest discovery of 2025 by the Guerreros Buscadores collective, in the municipality of Zapopan in Jalisco, Mexico, which hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup, on February 18, 2026
Guadalajara will host four matches at the FIFA World Cup in 2026
The discovery was made after the Guerreros Buscadores collective (volunteers searching for missing family members) in Jalisco received an anonymous call.
The haunting video showed at least 400 pairs of shoes scattered across a room.
At one point, clothing items, luggage bags and backpacks that may have belonged to the kidnapped and murdered victims could also be seen at the death camp known as the Izaguirre Ranch, which is allegedly run by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Other mass graves have also been discovered in the state of Jalisco.
More recently, in October, some 48 bags containing human remains were discovered in a mass grave in Guadalajara.
The discovery of these cemeteries adds to dozens of similar cases in Jalisco, the state hardest hit by the missing person crisis affecting Mexico, where more than 127,000 victims have gone missing nationwide.
Many of these losses are linked to the cartel violence that has rocked Mexico for decades after the government launched an anti-drug military operation.
One of the largest mass graves in the North American country, more than 250 skulls were reportedly found in what appeared to be a drug cartel’s mass graveyard on the outskirts of Veracruz in 2017.
Last year, a death camp allegedly set up by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was discovered at the Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlan, a municipality in the western Mexican state of Jalisco.
Members of the ‘Guerreros Buscadores’ collective are working on the crematorium of three people found searching for their relatives at the Izaguirre Ranch on March 5, 2025
At least 200 pairs of shoes and bags were found in a room at a remote property in Teuchitlan
A woman records clothes and shoes found at Izaguirre Farm after the ‘Guerreros Buscadores’ collective visited the site in Teuchitlan last year
Mexicans are now questioning Guadalajara’s ability to host summer football competitions, although the government has promised that the international event, which will be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States, will not be affected.
Hugo Alejandro Perez, a restaurant owner who lives near the football stadium in Guadalajara, is among those skeptical of the city’s ability to host matches.
“I don’t think they should host the World Cup here,” Perez said.
‘We have so many problems and they want to invest in the World Cup? With all this violence, this is not a good idea.’
President Claudia Sheinbaum was asked at her daily news briefing what the guarantees were that World Cup matches would be held in Jalisco.
‘Every guarantee,’ he said, adding that there was ‘no risk’ for fans coming to the tournament.
Jalisco Governor Jesús Pablo Lemus said he had spoken to local FIFA officials who “have absolutely no intention of removing any venues from Mexico.” Three venues remain completely unchanged.’
The Portuguese football federation has since said it was ‘closely monitoring the delicate situation’ in Mexico.
The national team was scheduled to play a friendly match against the Mexican team on March 28 at the renovated Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which is scheduled to host the opening match of the World Cup on June 11.
The western state of Jalisco was already facing scrutiny.
The state has been plagued by some of the harshest examples of cartel violence in recent years.
This is also the headquarters of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, whose leader ‘El Mencho’ was killed by the army on Sunday.
The operation and subsequent waves of violence killed more than 70 people.
Cartel gunmen set fire to cars to block streets in states across the country (Jalisco) and battled Mexican forces until Monday after the government said the conflict was under control.
El Mencho’s death comes as the Mexican government steps up its offensive against the cartels to meet U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands to crack down on criminal groups.
The cartel, also known as CJNG, is one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico.
The White House confirmed that the United States provided intelligence support to capture the cartel leader and applauded the Mexican military for capturing a man who is one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.
On Tuesday night, Trump briefly referenced the operation in his State of the Union address, saying: ‘We also took down one of the most sinister cartel leaders. You saw this yesterday.”
The main concern of many Mexicans is that El Mencho’s death could lead to more violence.
Killing operatives can often trigger infighting between cartel groups and push rival cartels to seize territory.
