MEXICO CITY (AP) — After months in which they were heard only sporadically at local tournaments across Mexico, homophobic chants have resurfaced strongly in recent weeks and could be a harbinger of what’s to come at the tournament. 2026 world cup.
The slur is Undesirable features Not just for El Tri, but in a match that Mexico and its passionate fans have attended for 20 years. This has led to widespread condemnation and sanctions, and there is a good chance that FIFA penalties will be imposed during the World Cup, which would be embarrassing for co-host Mexico.
FIFA has partnered with Fair Network to send observers to all World Cup matches to listen for discrimination in chants and banners across all countries and cultures.
Football’s governing body has struggled for decades to end racial discrimination, despite imposing hefty fines, stadium closures, point deductions, game cancellations and suspensions for both fans and players who break the rules. European and Latin American countries have been repeatedly fined, and Mexico is currently appealing. FIFA sanctions for 2024 matches Litigation against the United States pending in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The chant is a one-word slur in Spanish that literally means whore, and is usually uttered when an opposing goalkeeper takes a goal kick. It became a hot topic in 2014 brazil world cup It was heard in Russia during the 2018 World Cup, and again four years later in Qatar.
Stopping the chants proved difficult for Mexico
Mexican Football Federation officials initially claimed that the chant was not directed at homosexuals and that the word has a different meaning in Mexican culture, but a social media campaign launched before the 2018 World Cup was unsuccessful.
Mexico was penalized by FIFA after chants were heard in Russia during a match against Germany. For the first time ever, El Tri played a World Cup qualifier behind closed doors at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium.
Despite the punishment, Mexican fans shouted the slur again during games against Poland and Saudi Arabia at the 2022 Qatar tournament.
“Continuous efforts have been made over the years to eradicate this type of expression, including awareness campaigns and measures in stadiums. We recognize that although progress has been made, isolated incidents still occur,” Mexican federation president Ivar Cisniega told The Associated Press.
The federation and Mexico’s top league, Liga MX, simply asked fans before the game not to engage in such behavior. Cisniega said the federation recently launched an advertising campaign called “We Are Mexico” that seeks to shine a spotlight on Mexico’s best fans.
Andoni Bello, an LGBTQ+ activist who played for Mexico in an amateur soccer tournament organized by the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association, said the chants are a form of verbal attack that can escalate to physical attacks. According to government research, approximately 5 million people in Mexico (5.1% of the population) identify with an LGBTQ+ sexual and gender orientation.
“This tolerance of nothing happening and it being cultural means that hate crimes also remain cultural,” Bello added.
Chant resurfaces months before World Cup
Mexico will play 2 games world cup group stage matches It is also practiced in Mexico City and Guadalajara, and the chant is believed to have originated more than 20 years ago.
Although the chant could still be heard from time to time during some Liga MX matches, it rarely appeared at Mexico national team matches (it featured prominently during an October 2023 friendly against the United States), was heard loudly at the Azteca Stadium during a friendly against Portugal last month, and again at the same venue during the CONCACAF Champions Cup match between Club America and Nashville SC earlier this month. The referees for both games issued two suspensions each.
This sound was also heard during the intercontinental playoffs in Guadalajara and Monterrey, where Mexican teams were not participating. During the Iraq vs. Bolivia game, it was aimed at South American goalkeeper Guillermo Vizcarra, and during the Congo vs. Jamaica game, several videos showed Mexican fans teaching African fans how to do it.
“While we understand that this type of behavior often occurs as an expression of fan frustration and annoyance, it is not acceptable and we must continue to work to change that behavior,” Cisniega said.
At the CONCACAF match, chants arose when it became clear that Cruz Azul and the United States would be eliminated in the quarterfinal series. The correlation between chants and the Mexican team’s performance suggests that chants may also appear at the World Cup, where expectations are high for the country as co-hosts.
“When there is a problem, there are chants. People still don’t understand that it can lead to sanctions, but I think it will be different at the World Cup. Tickets were also expensive this time and people will go to enjoy it rather than question the result,” said Gabriel Galván, a fan who has watched every match of the Mexican national team since 2009.
Mexico was eliminated in the first round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for the first time since 1978. Mexico won the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup regional titles in 2025, but ended the year without a win in six straight games. As of 2026, the team is unbeaten in five games, with recent draws against Portugal and Belgium.
“We remain focused on our team performing well on the field, and we are confident that our positive connection with our fans will also contribute to creating the atmosphere we all want in our stadiums,” Cisniega said.
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AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed.
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