The 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup kicked off in Mexico on the 11th, attracting a large number of Chinese football fans who traveled there on a pilgrimage. However, just half an hour after arriving in Mexico, two fans were robbed at gunpoint about 1 kilometer from the airport. The robbers were a motorcycle-riding duo, who held a gun to the fans’ heads to threaten them, then made off with their passports, laptops, cash, watches, and other valuables.
According to a report by Urban Express, Mr. Li and his friend Mr. Wang landed after 6 p.m. local time on the 10th, and by 7 p.m. had been robbed, when they were only about 1 kilometer from the airport. Mr. Li said, “The robbers were a motorcycle pair; one was the lookout and the other did the robbing, with the gun pressed to our heads. Once they were done, they sped off on the motorcycle.” Mr. Wang posted a video on social media showing a clear red mark left on his forehead from the gun pressing against him. He said he would never come to Mexico again and that China is still safer.
“To be honest, I was stunned in that moment,” said Mr. Wang, who was frightened—it was his first time being robbed. The robbers took their passports, laptops, cash, watches, and other valuables. After returning to the hotel, Mr. Li called the police, but when the local police arrived, they “asked for money.” Mr. Li gave them 10,000 pesos (about 2,350 ringgit), after which the officer “disappeared.” Mr. Li has since replaced his documents and is about to return to China.
The Chinese Embassy in Mexico issued an announcement on its WeChat public account, stating that Chinese fans had been robbed in Mexico and reminding Chinese citizens in Mexico to pay attention to personal and property safety. The embassy has already expressed its concerns to the relevant Mexican authorities, demanding full efforts to solve the case and for effective measures to be taken to protect the personal safety and legal rights of Chinese citizens in Mexico.