Published June 20, 2026
Mexico City’s government announced it is considering measures to restrict the sale of alcohol in public places after more than 700,000 people gathered downtown to celebrate the Mexican national soccer team’s advance to the World Cup finals.
Mexico’s victory over South Korea sparked massive street celebrations, with fans wearing green El Tri jerseys and colorful Lucha Libre masks dancing in the rain, waving flags, singing the national anthem and blowing vuvuzelas.
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The next morning, Via Reforma, one of the city’s main arteries, was littered with trash and many of the yellow cempastil flowers had been trampled. Authorities collected around 40 tons of waste around the historic center.
Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said at a press conference on Friday that part of the government’s duty of care during large soccer events is prevention, and this includes regulating the illegal sale of alcohol on the streets.
Clavioto said the government will ask restaurants and bars in the area to prevent customers from taking alcoholic beverages off premises, and may also ask nearby convenience stores to stop selling alcohol in the hours before a big game.
The government said it plans to install seven more large screens around the center in addition to the current 12 to disperse crowds, and will deploy more staff to limit the sale of beer by street vendors.
“We continue to advocate for fans to be able to have fun without excessive alcohol consumption,” Cravioto said.
Boston, another World Cup host city, reported that several bars were run dry as Scottish fans, known as the “Tartans”, drank so much beer after Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 at the city’s stadium.
Mexico is scheduled to play the Czech Republic in the group stage on Wednesday.
