‘El Mencho’ murdered – Several football matches postponed after Mexico’s most wanted drug lord dies

Four high-level football matches were postponed on Sunday after the Mexican army killed the leader of a powerful drug cartel in a city close to World Cup host Guadalajara.

Two top matches – Queretaro vs. Juarez FC in the men’s tournament and Chivas vs. America in the women’s competition – were postponed and two in the second division were cancelled.

The Mexican national team has scheduled a friendly match against Iceland on Wednesday at the Corregidora Stadium in Queretaro. The Mexican Football Federation has not taken any public action to postpone it.

READ ALSO: FIFA World Cup 2026 warm-ups: Mexico to play Ghana, Australia and Serbia

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” who led the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel, was injured in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, and he died while being flown to Mexico City.

After his death, cartel members burned cars and blocked roads in nearly a dozen Mexican states.

The capital of Jalisco, Guadalajara, will host four matches at the World Cup in June, two of which will be with South Korea. Co-hosts Mexico, Spain, Uruguay and Colombia will also play there.

The CJNG cartel is considered the most powerful cartel in Mexico, with an estimated 19,000 members and operations in 21 of Mexico’s 32 states. The administration of US President Donald Trump has designated the organization as a foreign terrorist organization.

The Mexican Open, an ATP tennis tournament, starts Monday at the GNP Arena in Acapulco, Guerrero. Organizers issued a statement on Sunday saying that “the operation of the tournament will continue as normal.”

Published on February 23, 2026