Four professional\u00a0soccer\u00a0matches in Mexico were postponed Sunday after violence flared near Guadalajara \u2014 one of the country\u2019s host cities for the 2026 World Cup \u2014 in the wake of a military operation that left cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as \u201cEl Mencho,\u201d dead.<\/p>\n
Liga MX officials removed two top-flight fixtures from the schedule \u2014 Quer\u00e9taro\u2019s matchup against Ju\u00e1rez FC in the men\u2019s league and the women\u2019s showdown between Chivas and Am\u00e9rica \u2014 and also called off two second-division contests amid security concerns.<\/p>\n
The disruption followed operations<\/a> earlier in the day in Tapalpa, Jalisco, roughly two hours southwest of Guadalajara. <\/p>\n Mexican authorities said Oseguera, a former police officer who rose to lead the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generaci\u00f3n (CJNG), was killed during the operation.<\/p>\n In the aftermath, vehicles were set ablaze, and highways were blocked<\/a> across nearly a dozen Mexican states, according to officials.<\/p>\n Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, is slated to stage four matches during the 2026\u00a0World Cup, including two involving South Korea. Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, and Colombia are also scheduled to play at the venue.<\/p>\n Mexico\u2019s national team remains set to host Iceland in a friendly on Wednesday at Corregidora Stadium in Quer\u00e9taro. <\/p>\n As of Sunday, the Mexican soccer federation had not announced any changes to that match.<\/p>\n Four professional\u00a0soccer\u00a0matches in Mexico were postponed after violence flared near Guadalajara in the wake of a military operation that left cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera dead. Getty Images<\/p>\n Not all sporting events were affected. Organizers of the Mexican Open in Acapulco said the ATP tournament would begin Monday at the GNP Arena as planned.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tournament\u2019s operation continues as normal,\u201d organizers of the tournament said in a statement.<\/p>\n Oseguera had carried a $15 million U.S. bounty and rose to prominence following the arrest of Joaqu\u00edn \u201cEl Chapo\u201d Guzm\u00e1n, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Over the past decade and a half, CJNG expanded from a regional criminal group into a global trafficking network operating across much of Mexico from its stronghold in Jalisco.<\/p>\n The disruption followed operations earlier in the day in Tapalpa, Jalisco, roughly two hours southwest of Guadalajara. ZUMAPRESS.com<\/p>\n Vehicles drive past a burning bus used as a roadblock by organized crime following Oseguera\u2019s death in Mexico, February 22, 2026. REUTERS<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed \u2018El Mencho,\u2019 one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins,\u201d U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X. \u201cThis is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mexican Defense Department said the operation was conducted as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the U.S., and that U.S. authorities provided complementary intelligence that contributed to El Mencho\u2019s killing.<\/p>\n