Two Chinese football fans, surnamed Wang and Li, were robbed at gunpoint near Mexico City International Airport on the evening of June 10, 2026, just half an hour after landing to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup [1, 2, 3]. The robbers, two masked men on motorcycles, stopped their car during a traffic jam about 1 km from the airport, threatening the victims with guns before stealing passports, cash, watches, computers, tablets, and other valuables [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Wang suffered an injury to his forehead after being pressed with a gun during the attack [2, 3, 4, 5].
Victim Li described the assailants as “a pair of moto gangsters, one distracting and one robbing,” who “pressed guns to our heads and ran off on their motorcycles after stealing passports, computer, cash and watches” [3]. Wang said, "My mind went blank at the time, my only thought was our personal safety" [1]. Both victims reported the robbery to Mexican police and contacted the Chinese embassy’s 24-hour consular protection hotline [6, 1, 7, 2, 3].
Mexican authorities arrested one suspect connected to the armed robbery by June 13, 2026 [1, 7]. The two victims returned to China on June 12 after spending fewer than 48 hours in Mexico [1, 7, 2]. Some Chinese fans expressed fear following the incident and said they would not return to Mexico amid security concerns [2, 3, 4, 5].
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off officially on June 11, with Mexico hosting 13 matches across Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara as part of the tournament held jointly in the US, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19 [8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Mexican authorities have deployed nearly 100,000 troops to secure the three host cities during the tournament [11, 12].
The Chinese embassy warned all travelers to Mexico for the World Cup to stay alert, avoid carrying large amounts of cash or valuables, keep documents safe, avoid risky areas especially at night, and immediately report any incidents to police and the embassy [8, 6, 2, 3]. Earlier on June 9, the US Embassy in Mexico issued travel safety warnings highlighting risks of crime, kidnapping, and terrorism in many states hosting World Cup matches, rating Mexico City, Jalisco, and Nuevo Leon at travel advisory levels 2 or 3 [9, 10, 11, 12].
