VIP fans in Mexico get top security for World Cup | OneFootball

Leopoldo Cerdeira fires a gun at a car door to show the quality of his armored vehicles, which he will rent to celebrities and wealthy fans in Mexico during the 2026 World Cup.

The bullets get trapped in the fibers of the powerful synthetic coating that protects this Mexican entrepreneur’s 70 vehicles. They are ready for the World Cup, which Canada, the United States, and Mexico will jointly host between June and July.

His luxury SUVs transported a FIFA delegation that recently visited the country; the fleet, already booked for the Mexico City Formula 1 Grand Prix at the end of October, will grow to 80 units by the World Cup.

Drivers, bodyguards, anti-bomb blankets, and bulletproof vests round out the security items offered amid the violence plaguing Mexico, with around 30,000 homicides per year. “The country’s insecurity has made us grow as an industry,” admits Gabriel Hernández, director of the Armoring Group, which sells armored cars and civilian and military apparel in Mexico, the United States, and Spain.

Authorities say they are working hard to ensure security for the biggest soccer event in all three Mexican host cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara (west), and Monterrey (north). The capital, which has already hosted two iconic World Cup finals — the ones that crowned Pelé in 1970 and Diego Maradona in 1986 — and where 5 million visitors are expected, is generally spared from drug cartel attacks.

But Guadalajara is the operations hub of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, which is offering US$15 million (R$82 million at the current exchange rate) for its leader, Nemesio Oseguera “El Mencho.”

Rich and afraid

The cars available for rent during the World Cup are more than just armored: they have shock devices on the door handles, pepper spray that sprays from the wheels, and tires that can run up to 80 km even after being hit by bullets.

“The ones being reserved with us are for visitors […], people who have money, who come to watch the matches afraid because they’ve heard bad things about Mexico,” says Cerdeira at the Ruhe factory, his company, which also armors cars.

The daily rental of one of his vehicles costs between US$800 and US$1,100 (R$4,300 to R$6,000), but if you add a driver and a bodyguard, it’s another US$500 (R$2,700). A bulletproof vest can be purchased for US$1,500 (R$8,200).

The service may be offered for up to three weeks, as Mexico City will host 13 matches from June 11 to July 5, including the opening match, where 40,000 additional security cameras will be installed. The use of drones will also be restricted in all three Mexican host cities. Along with Brazil and the United States, Mexico leads the regional armoring market, with exports to several countries.

“World Cup truce”

The industry not only focuses on quality but also ensures that its products do not end up in the hands of criminals, to whom it applies various screening measures, according to business owners.

In any case, the cartels have set up a parallel production line to manufacture so-called “monsters,” huge pickup trucks with improvised armor that factions like the CJNG flaunt in videos in which their hired gunmen appear armed to the teeth.

Earlier this year, authorities dismantled a clandestine armored-vehicle workshop in Sinaloa, in northwestern Mexico, a stronghold of another major cartel. Eight years ago, two employees who worked for Cerdeira were recruited by a criminal organization.

According to the businessman, these groups can pay salaries up to three times higher, but the risk is very high: his two former employees ended up dead in Sinaloa. Despite being dangerous, these factions do not pose a direct threat to the World Cup, says David Saucedo, a security consultant for Mexican local governments and embassies.

“They themselves have a social base and will take advantage of” the matches, says Saucedo, who does not rule out an implicit agreement in which authorities will avoid large-scale operations against the mafias in exchange for them not carrying out “bloody acts that tarnish Mexico’s image.” “It would be a kind of ‘World Cup truce,’” he said.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.