On Tuesday, June 30, 2026, mothers searching for their missing loved ones staged a protest on Calzada de Tlalpan near Eje 8 Sur, a key route to Estadio Azteca, just before the Mexico vs. Ecuador match in the round of 16 at the World Cup.

Around 12:30 p.m., these search collectives attempted to block the road, but officers from Mexico City’s Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC) tried to stop them, as captured in a video shared by OVIAL. The confrontation quickly escalated, with groups like the Frente Nacional por las 40 horas accusing the police of repressing the searchers and calling for urgent support near Metro Ermita.

The footage shows officers attempting to remove banners displaying missing persons’ photos and the slogan “The ball returns home, but where are they?” At one point, two police officers are seen pulling a father involved in the search and detaining him against a pole. One woman, wearing a Mexico national team jersey altered with a missing person’s photo, shouted, “The police are attacking families searching for their loved ones.”

As several women tried to free the detained father, representatives from the Mexico City Human Rights Commission arrived to negotiate with the police, successfully securing his release.

The protest site is expected to host a “little soccer game against forgetting” and the posting of missing persons’ flyers from Mexico City and other states.

This demonstration is part of a series of actions planned by search collectives around Estadio Azteca on June 30 to raise awareness about the country’s ongoing disappearance crisis during the World Cup.

It’s worth remembering that on the tournament’s opening day, hundreds marched along Calzada de Tlalpan from Taxqueña demanding accountability from authorities. Later, during the Mexico vs. Czech Republic match, some mothers sang a new version of “Cielito Lindo” at the Monument to the Revolution, blending cultural expression with their call for justice.

This ongoing visibility effort highlights the intersection of social activism and national events, reminding us that behind the excitement of global sports, urgent human rights issues persist.