Mexico City’s government said on Friday it was considering measures to restrict the sale of alcohol in public spaces, after more than 700,000 people gathered in the city to celebrate Mexico’s advancement to the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Mexico’s victory over South Korea sparked massive street celebrations, with fans dressed in green Tri jerseys or wearing colorful Lucha Libre masks and dancing in the rain, waving flags, singing national anthems and blowing vuvuzelas.
The next morning, Reforma Avenue, one of the city’s main thoroughfares, was littered with trash and many of the yellow cempasuchil flowers had been trampled. Authorities collected about 40 tons of garbage around the historic center.
Mexico City’s government secretary, Cesar Cravioto, told a news conference that part of the government’s duty of care during the massive event is prevention and that this includes controlling the illegal sale of alcohol on the streets.
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Cravioto said the government would ask restaurants and bars in the area to prevent customers from taking alcoholic drinks outside and that nearby convenience stores could be asked to stop selling alcohol in the hours before a big match.
The government said it planned to set up another seven large screens around the center – in addition to the current 12 – to disperse crowds, and would deploy more staff to limit the sale of beer by street vendors.
“We will continue to insist that fans have fun, but without excessive alcohol consumption,” Cravioto said.
In Boston, another World Cup host city, Scottish fans known as the «Tartan Army» drank such large quantities of beer after the Scottish team defeated Haiti 1-0 at the city’s stadium that several bars reported being dry.
Mexico will play the Czech Republic in the group stage on Wednesday.
Published on June 20, 2026
