Mexico’s kidnapping crisis: 'How can they hold a World Cup?’ | On The Ground

As England prepares to take on Mexico in the Fifa World Cup, another battle is playing out just beyond the Azteca Stadium. Subscribe to The Guardian on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/user/theguard... More than 130,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Mexico as cartel violence surges, leaving thousands of families searching for answers. They say the authorities have failed them and are demanding justice. The Guardian follows two families as they confront the police and challenge the government, determined to use football's biggest tournament to expose Mexico's disappearance crisis. Chapters: 00.00 - Mexico’s disappearance crisis 01.31 - Searching for los desaparecidos 02.33 - Mexico’s battle with the cartels 03.29 - Digging for human remains 06.26 - The kidnapping of Hector Aguila 08.33 - Heading into cartel territory 09.41 - Rancho Izaguirre extermination camp 11.28 - Protesting the World Cup The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://support.theguardian.com/ Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ►   / theguardian   Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/theguardian.com Instagram ►   / guardian   The Guardian on YouTube: Guardian News ►    / @guardiannews   Guardian Australia ►    / @guardianaustralia   Guardian Football ►    / @guardianfootball   Football Weekly ►    / @footballweeklypodcast   Guardian Sport ►    / @guardiansport   It's Complicated ►    / @itscomplicated   Guardian Live ►    / @guardianlive   #mexico #worldcup #worldcup2026 #disappear #cartels #mexicocartels #kidnapping #drugwar