LGBTQ Mexico fans expect homophobia at World Cup as anti-gay chant heard again

Mexico will host 13 matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and it is now all but certain that “homophobia will be present” in stadiums.

That is the view of Rafael Villanueva, the director general of DIDESEX, the country’s foremost LGBTQ inclusion in sports organization which is planning to deliver Pride Houses in Mexico City and Monterrey.

Mexico’s other World Cup 2026 host city is Guadalajara, where the national team beat the United States 2-0 in a friendly match Tuesday night. The anti-gay “puto” slur was chanted by home fans within minutes of kick-off, according to a report by the Associated Press.

According to the anti-discrimination in football body Fare, it is the 25th time since 2019 that homophobic chanting has been recorded at Mexico men’s international games.

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Fare monitoring shows that Mexico have now seen homophobic chants in 25 international men’s matches since 2019.

They co-host the World Cup in less than two years.https://t.co/l2G1FdmdQx— Fare (@farenet) October 16, 2024

Despite the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) being sanctioned on numerous occasions over the past decade for its supporters’ discriminatory behavior, and various attempts made to stamp out the slur through education, the chanting persists.

Villaneuva says “it’s a long fight” for LGBTQ campaigners in a country where machismo and homophobia are “ingrained” in the soccer culture.

However, he and DIDESEX are determined to take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity offered by the most popular sporting event on the planet.

“Will homophobia be present inside stadiums in Mexico in 2026? At the moment, it’s difficult to see how it will not be,” says Villanueva, writing for Fare’s website.

“But be assured we are going all out to make sure LGBTIQ+ people are safe and this chant does not become the legacy of our World Cup.”

Just over three months ago, there were several incidents of the slur on American soil during Mexico’s warm-up games for the Copa America and fixtures in the tournament, which was co-organized by the CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (North and Central America) confederations.

Warning messages were displayed on big screens and announcements made over the P.A. systems in stadiums. However, they had little effect, with three separate announcements going out at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Az., as Mexico exited the Copa America.

Tuesday’s game saw “El Tri” defeat its rival the USMNT for the first time in seven attempts, dating back to 2019. AP’s Carlos Rodriguez wrote: “Despite on-screen messages and banners urging fans to refrain from using the chant and yell “Mexico” instead, the crowd shouted the slur at U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner within a minute after the kickoff.”

Costa Rican referee Keylor Herrera did not stop the game, in contrast to the previous meeting between the two teams in Texas in March 2024, when the CONCACAF Nations League final was twice halted.

That prompted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to say on social media that he was “extremely disappointed” and that those responsible should be “held to account for their actions”.

On Tuesday however, not only did the referee play on, but Rodriguez noted that “organizers at one point tried to drown out the chant by playing “Cielito Lindo,” a popular folk song, over the stadium loudspeakers.”

Post-match, Mexico winger Diego Lainez praised the team’s supporters. “This victory is very important, it was great for us and the people in this stadium gave their all to us, I have to say my respects, they practically filled the stadium. The atmosphere was very nice,” he told Milenio, with zero mention of the anti-gay chanting.

In February, the FMF’s appeal against a fine of more than $100,000 handed down by FIFA following anti-gay chanting at two 2022 World Cup matches in Qatar was sent to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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At a previous appeal hearing held by FIFA, the FMF had argued that it could only take full responsibility for incidents at games it organized. 

The scenario in summer 2026, when Mexico are one of the World Cup host nations, would suggest an increased effort is required from all parties, including FIFA, which has recently been promoting its new anti-discrimination “X” gesture to federations.

Players are being encouraged to cross their arms if they witness or experience racism during matches, alerting officials who would then consider triggering the existing three-step protocol.

FIFA’s communications around the gesture do not appear to reference other forms of discrimination, although a Fare spokesperson said last month: “Our advice to players who suffer other forms of discrimination — such as homophobic or sexist abuse — during a game is to use it and signal the abuse to the referee.”

As for Mexico fans such as Villanueva who are LGBTQ, they are still having to explain why the “puto” slur is anti-gay. Another campaigner, Andoni Bella, explained to AP: “It’s clearly homophobic because you are degrading a person with an insult of sexual and negative connotation.”

There is a wider context too, says Villaneuva. “Hearing [the slur] in public in a country that has the second highest number of homophobic crimes in Latin America is a violation of the human rights of the LGBTIQ+ community,” he added.

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