Hundreds of bags of human remains were recently found in makeshift graves in the Mexican city at the heart of the startling wave of violence over the killing of a cartel boss — just months before key World Cup games are scheduled to be held there.
Since last year, more than 20 grave sites have been found scattered around Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and home to the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which was led by Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes before he was killed by Mexican authorities on Monday, according to El Pais.
So far, more than 500 bags of remains have been found in just four of the 22 grave sites — some just miles from Akron Stadium, one of Mexico’s three World Cup locations, The New York Post reports.
The shocking discoveries — compounded with the recent outbreak of cartel violence that left some 70 people dead — has put fans, locals and teams on edge ahead of the international tournament being held there this year, beginning June 2.
Some 130,000 people have vanished in Mexico — a 200 per cent surge in the last decade — with a majority believed to be tied to cartel violence.
“In Jalisco, the missing are made to vanish,” Jaime Aguilar of the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco, an organisation of volunteers who search for the missing, told El Pais in December.
“This is so it won’t be known; they want to erase all traces of the disappeared.”
Between February and September 2025, 270 bags filled with human remains were found at Las Agujas, a 54-acre property located in Zapopan — a city next to Guadalajara — and one of the largest mass graves found, according to El Pais.
Since that grim discovery by construction workers, more bodies have been found in the area, including 48 bags of remains unearthed in a clandestine grave in Zapopan in October, CBS News reported.
“All the findings are gaining attention, because they’re being linked to the World Cup. It’s several miles away, but this is happening near a World Cup stadium,” the Guerreros Buscadores said.
Jalisco has been plagued by some of the starkest examples of cartel violence in recent years, including the discovery of a cartel killing site at a death camp known as Izaguirre Ranch last March.
Chaos erupted this week in 20 of Mexico’s 32 states after the Mexican military took out drug lord Oseguera.
In response to the killing, cartel members took to the streets, shooting at soldiers and setting fires to buildings and cars. At least 70 people were killed, including 25 military members, officials said.
Even Mexicans in Guadalajara are sceptical about hosting the World Cup.
“I don’t think they should host the World Cup here,” Hugo Peréz, who owns a restaurant near the stadium, told the Associated Press.
“We have so many problems, and they want to invest in the World Cup? With all the violence, it’s not a good idea.”
The football federation for Portugal, whose national team is scheduled to play Mexico in a friendly match at the end of March in Mexico City, said it was “closely monitoring the delicate situation” in Mexico.
The Mexican government, meanwhile, has promised that the international event — hosted jointly by Mexico, the United States and Canada — will not be affected.
President Claudia Sheinbaum promised reporters this week she had “every guarantee” that there was “no risk” for fans coming to the tournament.
Jalisco Gov. Jesus Pablo Lemus said he had spoken with local FIFA officials, who have “absolutely no intention of removing any venues from Mexico. The three venues remain completely unchanged.”
— This story originally appeared on The New York Post and has been republished with permission