Alcohol sales in Mexico City before World Cup matches may be curbed

Mohan Sinha
23 Jun 2026, 16:31 GMT+10

Mexico City officials said this week they are thinking about steps to limit alcohol sales in public places after more than 700,000 people celebrated in the city center.
City government secretary Cesar Cravioto said that part of the government’s responsibility during such big events is prevention, including controlling illegal street sales of alcohol.
City government secretary Cesar Cravioto said that part of the government’s responsibility during such big events is prevention, including controlling illegal street sales of alcohol.

MEXICO CITY, Mexico: Mexico City officials said this week they are thinking about steps to limit alcohol sales in public places after more than 700,000 people gathered in the city center to celebrate Mexico's soccer team reaching the World Cup knockout stage.

After Mexico beat South Korea, huge crowds filled the streets. Fans wore green team jerseys or colorful Lucha Libre masks, danced in the rain, waved flags, sang songs, and blew vuvuzelas.

The next morning, Reforma Avenue, one of the city's main roads, was covered in trash, and many of its yellow cempasuchil flowers were crushed. Authorities collected about 40 tons of waste in the historic center.

City government secretary Cesar Cravioto said at a press conference that part of the government's responsibility during such big events is prevention, including controlling illegal street sales of alcohol.

He added that the government would ask restaurants and bars to stop customers from taking alcoholic drinks outside, and nearby convenience stores might be asked to stop selling alcohol before big matches.

The government also plans to set up seven more large screens in the center, in addition to the current 12, to spread out crowds. More staff will be deployed to control beer sales by street vendors.

"We will keep encouraging fans to enjoy themselves, but without drinking too much alcohol," Cravioto said.

In Boston, another World Cup host city, Scottish fans known as the "Tartan Army" drank so much beer after Scotland's 1-0 win over Haiti that several bars ran out of beer.

Mexico will play against the Czech Republic in the group stage on Wednesday.