Leon Crassé

Guadalajara is not a new World Cup city.

It has a legendary World Cup past, you know, in 1970 and again in 1986, the World Cup played in Guadalajara became almost mythical.

Pelé's Brazil played there in 1970.

Then Zico and Socrates played there in 1986.

There is a real football memory there, a love affair between Guadalajara and football in general.

And I expect it to be a wonderful party.

It's going to be festive in so many ways.

But of course, 2026 is different.

Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación has become the most aggressive and successful criminal organization in modern Mexican history.

It has militarized more aggressively and more openly than almost any cartel before it, and it has expanded operations all across the globe.

You have a government in Washington that is really just waiting for the right moment and the right excuse to go into Mexico and take unilateral military actions.

The tournament arrives in the most difficult time in modern Mexican history.

Will tourists face spectacular violence?

I don't think so.

But the potential for, with so many people coming, something going wrong is there.

For the sake of my country and its people, I just hope nothing like that happens.

how do you feel that your country is going to be hosting the world cup this year is this a big moment for you personally an incredibly big moment i met my wife 20 years ago after the first match mexico played in 2006 world cup i was working for the mexican soccer federation and she was there as a fan and they've got two they're looking for more to really

And now we're going to Azteca Stadium.

We were lucky enough to get tickets for just that match.

Just that match.