With fewer than 200 days until the 2026 World Cup kicks off in North America, one of Mexico’s host cities is facing a disturbing crisis. Search collectives in Jalisco have uncovered hundreds of bags filled with human remains in areas surrounding Akron Stadium – the home of Chivas de Guadalajara and one of the venues set to host multiple World Cup matches.
According to volunteer search groups, the most recent discovery occurred in September. Since 2022, at least 456 bags of remains have been recovered near the stadium, raising urgent concerns as Mexico prepares for an international spotlight.
Construction Work Leads Families to New Discoveries
José Raúl Servin García, a member of the search collective Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco, confirmed that the latest discovery was made during construction for a nearby housing project. He said the work opened up an opportunity for families to continue searching for missing relatives.
One of the most troubled zones is an area known as Las Agujas, where construction workers uncovered 290 bags while building a new development. “We are now at about 456 bags, more or less, and all of this is near Akron Stadium,” Servin García said, per the Latin Times. “It is painful that a World Cup will be held here while there is so much evil.”
Additional Remains Found Across Zapopan and Tlaquepaque
The discoveries extend beyond Las Agujas. Search groups report that 130 bodies were recovered from a cemetery close to the stadium, while 89 additional bags of remains were found in the communities of Nextipac and Plan de la Noria between 2018 and 2022.
Collectives like Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco have long accused the state government of failing to report many of the clandestine graves uncovered by both search groups and authorities, according to Infobae México. They also allege that forensic teams face threats from organized crime, further complicating recovery efforts.
Accusations of Government Inaction and Pressure From Criminal Groups
Servin García said authorities consistently avoid fully disclosing the scale of the discoveries. “They do not want to bring all the graves to light,” he explained. “We have to dig and recover the bags so prosecutors and forensic teams can remove them, but this does not work in their favor.”
He added that criminal groups sometimes threaten forensic staff, influencing which bodies are processed or returned to families.
Families Say the World Cup Is Being Prioritized Over Missing Persons
Jalisco remains one of the states with the highest number of disappearances, according to the 2025 national report from the Mexican Institute of Human Rights and Democracy. Despite this, Servin García alleges that the government is more focused on preparing for the World Cup than on addressing the region’s human rights crisis.
“They even remove our missing persons posters so visitors do not notice the magnitude of the problem,” he said.
Search Groups Vow to Continue Their Work
Although members recently met with Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus, Servin García believes the state is trying to rush recovery efforts to present a clean image before the tournament. “They want everything to look normal when the World Cup arrives,” he said. “We will keep working, with or without the World Cup, to bring to light whatever we find.”
He also criticized the federal government, saying families have been left without continued support. “In our second meeting, we agreed to keep following up in Mexico City, but they have completely forgotten about us,” he said.