MI’s Mexico Foreign Press Chatter, Jun. 19, 2025
Top stories on Mexico
The celebratory fervour of fans and foibles of FIFA have both received foreign press coverage on Mexico this week as the World Cup continues its quest for global attention domination. The contrasts and tensions between the host countries were thrown into relief by a report in the Wall Street Journal about how this feels like “three parallel World Cups”, further reinforced by stories about the warm Mexican welcome for teams and fans from abroad, compared to icy US travel bans and immigration crackdowns. Reuters covered the Mexican “love affair” with Korean culture ahead of the showdown in Guadalajara on Thursday, a 1-0 victory for Mexico, and also the massive turnout of Colombian fans for their team’s match in CDMX. The outlet also reported on how eye-watering ticket prices and excessively restrictive FIFA promotional rules have tempered enthusiasm and the economic boost for local businesses. AP got the cute animal scoop of the week with Merlin, the Mexico jersey-clad duck waddling the streets of the capital who has become “an unlikely internet sensation” and unofficial mascot for the tournament.
In non-football news, Bloomberg covered Morena’s (likely unsuccessful) efforts to void the results of a local election in Coahuila that saw a sweeping win for the PRI, as well as the ruling party’s recent constitutional amendment on foreign interference in elections, noting in both cases concerns about the party thwarting any challenges to its electoral dominance.
Notable blogs in English on Mexico
Ioan Grillo penned a brief report in Crashout on the mixed emotions swirling around the World Cup, from the heartwarming moments, including Swedish fans hugging a protesting madre buscadora in Monterrey, to the frustrations with FIFA. The Mexico Political Economist explored how changes to the tournament this year (including the addition of more commercial or “hydration” breaks) are Americanising futbol and also what the growing NFL fan base in Mexico looks like. In Mexico Decoded, Viri Ríos analysed the current state of AI regulation in Mexico (minimal) and how the country risks “falling into one of its deepest development traps” if it doesn’t come up with a plan. In Materia Gris, Eduardo García reflected on his experiences attending Estadio Azteca (which looked “as majestic as ever”) for three World Cup matches and on how the country and the game have changed since the 1970 and 1986 tournaments. And Miranda Intelligence’s daily Substack covered key developments in energy, fintech, public affairs and politics in Mexico.
Notable blogs in English on Mexico
- CrashOut Media, A World Cup of Hopes, Dreams (and Money Grabbing)
- Mexico Decoded, The AI Trap Mexico Isn’t Seeing
- Materia Gris, Back to the Azteca
- Miranda Intelligence daily reports on Substack
Photo of the Week
People take pictures of a duck named Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, at a park in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026, during the World Cup. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Top stories on Mexico
North America’s World Cup Feels Like Three Different Tournaments
15/06/2026, The Wall Street Journal, Amanda Coletta and Ian Lovett
In Mexico, a love affair with all things Korean, at least until kickoff
18/06/2026, Reuters, Laura Gottesdiener, Miguel Lo Bianco and Stef Haskins
Mexico City turns yellow as Colombian fans make Azteca feel like home
18/06/2026, Reuters, Angelica Medina
The World Cup returned to Mexico after 40 years. Many locals feel left out
17/06/2026, Reuters, Cassandra Garrison and Diego Delgado
Meet Merlin the duck, a Mexico City streetside regular turned World Cup mascot
15/06/2026, AP, Nayara Batschke
Mexican military brings down drone near South Korea’s training camp, coach says it is ‘unfortunate’
17/06/2026, AP, Fabiola Sánchez
Mexico’s Ruling Party Aims to Void Vote It Lost in Landslide
16/06/2026, Bloomberg, Alex Vasquez
Why Mexico’s New Election Law Worries Democracy Advocates
14/06/2026, Bloomberg, Alex Vasquez
USMCA Talks Take Virtual Turn as Trump Fuels More Doubts on Deal
18/06/2026, Bloomberg, Alex Vasquez
12/06/2026, The Guardian, Oscar Lopez
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