Mexican teachers block an avenue during a national teachers’ strike organized by the National Coordination of Education Workers in Mexico City on Tuesday. The CNTE union vowed to maintain their national strike indefinitely over their demands, which include a salary increase and a reversal of the current pension and retirement frameworks. Photo by Madla Hartz/EPA
June 8 (UPI) — Thousands of teachers continue to block streets and maintain an encampment in Mexico City’s historic center just days before the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as negotiations with the federal government remain deadlocked.
Mexican educators have sought to use the visibility of the tournament to pressure President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration for higher wages and pension reforms.
The National Coordinator of Education Workers, known by its Spanish acronym CNTE, reaffirmed Sunday that it will continue its strike indefinitely and intensify demonstrations in the coming days despite calls from the federal government to end the work stoppage, according to Infobae.
“There are groups that want to provoke the Mexican government and are not necessarily teachers,” Sheinbaum said during her daily news conference. “What they want is repression. They want the national headline to be ‘Mexico represses teachers.’ They are not going to get that.”
The protests are concentrated around Mexico City’s Zócalo, the capital’s main public square, where FIFA has organized official fan activities.
Visitors seeking access to the FIFA Fan Festival must pass through the teachers’ encampment and additional security checkpoints, according to TV Noticias Telemundo.
The report said the historic center remains affected by the encampments, creating disruptions for tourists, residents and local businesses.
CNTE leaders are also considering extending demonstrations to Azteca Stadium, which is scheduled to host the World Cup opening match Thursday.
Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez urged teachers Saturday to end the protests and continue negotiations, arguing that the demonstrations are affecting students, workers, merchants and tourism activity in the city center.
The CNTE rejected the government’s pension proposal as insufficient and announced that additional groups of teachers will join the protests this week.
Sheinbaum called Monday for patience while awaiting decisions in the coming days and said she remains confident that the opening of the 2026 World Cup “will be very good, without repression.”
The dispute comes as Mexico hopes the tournament will boost tourism and economic activity.
According to tourism industry estimates, the World Cup could generate as much as $3 billion in economic activity and attract more than 5 million international visitors.
Mexico City’s three host cities, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, reported hotel occupancy rates of about 60% ahead of the tournament.
Nelly Carrasco Godínez, secretary of Culture and Tourism for the State of Mexico, said the state expects to receive about 1.6 million visitors in small historic towns and tourist destinations promoted during the World Cup. The expected economic impact is 1.4 billion pesos, or approximately $80 million.