Teachers in Mexico planning to strike during 2026 World Cup

Teachers in Mexico took part in a protest March on Friday Yuri Cortez / AFP via Getty Images) Share article1Teachers in Mexico are planning to strike during the 2026 World Cup as they call for reforms to wages, pensions and the country’s education system. Education union the national coordinating committee of education workers (CNTE) said in a statement it would call for a national strike “within the framework of the World Cup” if its “non-negotiable” demands are not met. The union said it is demanding “dignified pensions, fair wages, job security, and an education that serves the people, not corporate interests”. The 2007 ISSSTE law is the particular target of protests, an act that restructured state worker pensions in the country. Mexico is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Canada. The Mexican school calendar will overlap with the majority of the World Cup, which takes place between June 11 and July 19. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City will stage the tournament’s opening game between Mexico and South Africa on June 11. Thousands of teachers took to the streets with banners and placards in an organised protest in Mexico City on Friday (Teacher’s Day in Mexico). “The fight isn’t just for teachers; it’s for all workers whose right to a dignified retirement is threatened today,” the CNTE said. “There’s nothing to celebrate today when millions of workers are condemned to meagre pensions.” Earlier this month, Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education (SEP) said that, along with state education authorities, it had “unanimously” agreed to move the end of the school year from July 15 to June 5, ending the school year nearly six weeks early. It said this was due to an “extraordinary heat wave” in the summer months and Mexico’s co-hosting of the 2026 World Cup alongside the United States and Canada. However, the move faced criticism — including from the CNTE and Mexico’s National Union of Parents — and the Mexican government subsequently canceled these plans. Teacher rights are a long-standing issue in Mexico, with a protest by a teachers’ union over wages briefly halting flights at Benito Juarez International Airport, Mexico City in May 2025. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms