Missing Searching Mothers Protest on World Cup Tour in Mexico

A collective of mothers searching for missing family members staged a protest in front of the Utopia Mixhuca sports center, in the Mexican capital, during the exhibition of the 2026 World Cup trophy. Protesters blocked some access to the site and some traffic on Avenida Río de la Piedad to demand more attention to the country's missing persons crisis.

The women displayed photos, banners and missing person search cards, urging that more resources be allocated to investigations and progress in the process regarding the more than 6,000 cases open in Città del Messico alone. The protest took place while local authorities, led by mayor Clara Brugada, officially unveiled the 2026 World Cup trophy.

The event, held by FIFA, was also attended by former football stars Roberto Carlos and Hugo Sánchez. The original World Cup trophy will be on display free to the public until June 8 at the Utopia Mixhuca sports centre. Protesters complained about the lack of effective response from agencies and called for recognition of the seriousness of the missing persons phenomenon that the collective says involves more than 133,000 people across Mexico.