"We understand that it often arises as a manifestation of frustration or annoyance," said Mexican Federation President Ivar Sisniega. "But that doesn't make it acceptable." That might be the most honest thing a Mexican football official has said about this problem in two decades — and it still doesn't come close to solving it.
The chant — a one-word Spanish slur aimed at opposing goalkeepers during goal kicks — is back. Heard at Azteca during a friendly against Portugal last month. Heard again at the same ground during a CONCACAF Champions Cup match between Club America and Nashville SC. Referees suspended both matches twice. It also surfaced in Guadalajara and Monterrey during intercontinental playoff games that didn't even involve Mexican clubs — with videos showing Mexican fans apparently teaching the chant to African supporters in the crowd.
That last detail is the one that should genuinely alarm anyone involved in organising the World Cup.
The history is damning
This isn't a new problem that flared up suddenly. The chant gained global attention at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, resurfaced in Russia in 2018, and was heard again in Qatar in 2022 during matches against Poland and Saudi Arabia. After Russia, FIFA forced Mexico to play World Cup qualifying matches behind closed doors at Azteca — the first time in the stadium's history. The chant kept going anyway.
Mexico is co-hosting the 2026 tournament. Two of their group-stage games are in Mexico City. Another is in Guadalajara — the city where the chant is believed to have originated over 20 years ago. The geography alone is a problem.
FIFA has deployed Fare Network observers to every World Cup match specifically to flag discriminatory behaviour. The penalties available — fines, stadium closures, points deductions, match suspensions — are all on the table. Mexico already has an appeal pending before the Court of Arbitration for Sport over a 2024 match against the US. Another violation on home soil, during their own World Cup, would be a different level of embarrassment entirely. Any punter eyeing Mexico's group-stage odds should factor in the genuine possibility of crowd sanctions complicating the co-host's tournament before a ball is even kicked.
Campaigns haven't worked. What will?
The federation has tried social media drives. They've asked fans politely before matches. Sisniega pointed to a recent campaign called "We Are Mexico" designed to emphasise the positive side of Mexican support. None of it has stuck.
LGBTQ+ activist Andoni Bello, who has represented Mexico in tournaments organised by the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association, frames it bluntly: "This permissiveness that nothing happens and that it's cultural means that hate crimes also remain cultural."
There's a pattern worth noting in when the chant appears. It surged during CONCACAF games when Cruz Azul and América faced elimination. It tends to erupt from frustration. Mexico ended 2025 on a six-match winless streak and was knocked out in the group stage at Qatar 2022 for the first time since 1978. The expectations on the co-host nation in 2026 will be immense — and if results go wrong, the conditions for the chant to appear are already there.
- The chant has been sanctioned at three consecutive World Cups: 2014, 2018, and 2022
- Mexico was forced to play qualifying matches behind closed doors following the 2018 tournament
- Referees suspended two recent matches at Azteca after the chant was heard
- Videos emerged of Mexican fans teaching the chant to foreign supporters in Guadalajara
- Mexico currently has a FIFA punishment appeal pending at the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Fan Gabriel Galván, who has attended every Mexico match since 2009, thinks the higher ticket prices will change the crowd dynamic at the World Cup. Maybe. But the chant appeared at expensive international friendlies last month, so that theory hasn't been tested yet.
"Isolated incidents still persist," Sisniega said. At two matches in one month, with referees stopping play, it's not clear "isolated" is the right word anymore.
