Sports As A Weapon Podcast

Sports As A Weapon Podcast

56 | Mexico, US Imperialism and The 2026 World Cup

Jun 4, 2026 · 1 hr 10 min · 19 segments

Miguel is joined by Alexander Aviña — associate professor of Latin American and Mexican history at Arizona State University and author of Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War…

Miguel is joined by Alexander Aviña — associate professor of Latin American and Mexican history at Arizona State University and author of Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside — for a deep conversation where fútbol and imperialism collide. First, Alexander breaks down Mexico’s World Cup-hosting history, linking the 1970 tournament to the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre and 1986 to the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and public jeering of PRI presidents, while noting protests during 1986 and Sócrates’ solidarity gestures as Maradona worked his magic on the pitch. They compare those political tensions to the upcoming 2026 tournament. Alexander and Miguel also break down the younger, Liga MX and Euro club-heavy Selección Nacional Mexicana roster, what home-field advantage at Azteca could mean, and why FIFA's hyper capitalist grip on this tournament — from displaced vendors and street workers in Mexico City to $30,000 World Cup final tickets in the US — has both Miguel and Alexander feeling less excited about this World Cup than any before. Miguel and Alexander also dig into the CNN and New York Times reporting on CIA-linked assassination operations targeting cartel figures on Northern Mexican soil, asking whether the line between intelligence sharing and outright foreign intervention has already been crossed. They also break down Mexico's Ministry of Public Education, reversing its plan to end the school year early for the World Cup, the US State Department's announced review of all 53 Mexican consulates and the far-right conspiracy theory behind it, and the broader Trump administration push to install a right-wing political order across Latin America — from Venezuela to Cuba to Mexico. Lastly, Miguel and Alexander discuss the contradictions of being a politically conscious Fútbol fan: rooting hard for El Tri while critiquing the mega-event capitalist FIFA machine hosted in the imperial core. Links: \* [Specters of Revolution by Alex Aviña](ttps://alexanderavina.com/specters-of-revolution/) \* Cursed? Always let down? Whatever the truth, Mexican support is unconditional -The Athletic \* Mexico agrees to host Iran at World Cup instead of US - BBC Sport \* U.S. and Mexican Officials Deny C.I.A. Had Lethal Role in Mexico Operation - New York Times \* State Department reviewing all Mexican consulates in U.S. as tensions grow - CBS News \* Ministry of Education Backtracks; Social Pressure Derails Plan to End School Year Early - Mexico Solidarity Media \* President Sheinbaum Calls on US Ambassador to Limit Himself to Bilateral Coordination & Collaboration - Mexico Solidarity Media \* Anti-Fascist Football Coalition Website Miguel Garcia and Comrade E produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. All the video episodes are on the ATICONQUISTA YouTube, and listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on: Twitter/X: @sportsasaweapon Facebook: fb.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast Instagram: @sportsasaweaponpodcast UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

Miguel is joined by Alexander Aviña — associate professor of Latin American and Mexican history at Arizona State University and author of Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War…

Show signals: Audience≈8k followers

Capitalism’s Toll on the ‘Beautiful Game’20:36 – 25:25

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:36

So I haven't seen as many protests.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:38

I haven't seen really any protests in Monterrey.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:41

I've seen some protests in, in Guadalajara.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:43

There the dynamic has been-

Miguel GarciaHost

20:44

Specifically at the FA, right.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:46

Yeah.

Miguel GarciaHost

20:46

It's, yeah.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:46

In Guadalajara, the, the news that we- that's come out are some protests organized by f- um, organizations formed by family members of the Disappeared, and apparently within the last s- you know, six to eight months, they've found, like, human, a, a lot of human remains pretty close to El Estadio Akron, which is where the Chivas de Guadalajara play and which is gonna be one of the sites for the, for some of the World Cup matches, right? So you, there you also have a, a crazy contrast, right? You have ultra-modern, expensive, new soccer stadium that's going to host this mega global event, but not, you know, two, three kilometers from there, you know, people are finding the remains of loved ones who were Disappeared by either state agents or narco-trafficking organizations that are pretty powerful in that part of Mexico.

Alexander AviñaGuest

21:34

Uh, so there's a contradiction right there, right? Uh, but what joins the two things is capitalism, right? 'Cause narcos are just outlaw capitalists who depend on licit capitalists to, to, to do their, to, to do their business.

Alexander AviñaGuest

21:46

Um, so those are some of the contradictions I think we're seeing play out right before the World Cup takes place in Mexico.

Alexander AviñaGuest

21:52

But Mexico City seems to be the, the more sus- the site of the most sustained protests against it.

Miguel GarciaHost

21:57

Yeah, so I saw that connection now from this current World Cup coming up and then '86 when I was doing my research a little bit because of the earthquake almost happening and peop- there was that.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:07

There was all these issues, right? So, um, the same issues of prioritizing the mega event and the cap- the business class capitalists, um, infrastructure.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:18

Like fix- they were fixing up the stadiums in '86, Ru, like probably-

Alexander AviñaGuest

22:21

Mm-hmm

Miguel GarciaHost

22:21

...Azteca.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:22

I don't know how many, which of...

Miguel GarciaHost

22:24

Of course, there were the whole host country, so there was other stadiums.

Alexander AviñaGuest

22:27

Yeah.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:27

But they're, you know, they were fixing the stadiums quick- quicker, prioritizing that over people's, uh, homes or whatever else was destroyed, right, that, that just, that was in the community.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:38

Um, and this again, just had the main, the main thing that ties it all is cap- capitalism.

Alexander AviñaGuest

22:46

Yeah.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:47

Right.

Alexander AviñaGuest

22:47

I mean, this is what is-

Miguel GarciaHost

22:48

Right.

Capitalism’s Toll on the ‘Beautiful Game’20:36 – 25:25

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:36

So I haven't seen as many protests.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:38

I haven't seen really any protests in Monterrey.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:41

I've seen some protests in, in Guadalajara.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:43

There the dynamic has been-

Miguel GarciaHost

20:44

Specifically at the FA, right.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:46

Yeah.

Miguel GarciaHost

20:46

It's, yeah.

Alexander AviñaGuest

20:46

In Guadalajara, the, the news that we- that's come out are some protests organized by f- um, organizations formed by family members of the Disappeared, and apparently within the last s- you know, six to eight months, they've found, like, human, a, a lot of human remains pretty close to El Estadio Akron, which is where the Chivas de Guadalajara play and which is gonna be one of the sites for the, for some of the World Cup matches, right? So you, there you also have a, a crazy contrast, right? You have ultra-modern, expensive, new soccer stadium that's going to host this mega global event, but not, you know, two, three kilometers from there, you know, people are finding the remains of loved ones who were Disappeared by either state agents or narco-trafficking organizations that are pretty powerful in that part of Mexico.

Alexander AviñaGuest

21:34

Uh, so there's a contradiction right there, right? Uh, but what joins the two things is capitalism, right? 'Cause narcos are just outlaw capitalists who depend on licit capitalists to, to, to do their, to, to do their business.

Alexander AviñaGuest

21:46

Um, so those are some of the contradictions I think we're seeing play out right before the World Cup takes place in Mexico.

Alexander AviñaGuest

21:52

But Mexico City seems to be the, the more sus- the site of the most sustained protests against it.

Miguel GarciaHost

21:57

Yeah, so I saw that connection now from this current World Cup coming up and then '86 when I was doing my research a little bit because of the earthquake almost happening and peop- there was that.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:07

There was all these issues, right? So, um, the same issues of prioritizing the mega event and the cap- the business class capitalists, um, infrastructure.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:18

Like fix- they were fixing up the stadiums in '86, Ru, like probably-

Alexander AviñaGuest

22:21

Mm-hmm

Miguel GarciaHost

22:21

...Azteca.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:22

I don't know how many, which of...

Miguel GarciaHost

22:24

Of course, there were the whole host country, so there was other stadiums.

Alexander AviñaGuest

22:27

Yeah.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:27

But they're, you know, they were fixing the stadiums quick- quicker, prioritizing that over people's, uh, homes or whatever else was destroyed, right, that, that just, that was in the community.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:38

Um, and this again, just had the main, the main thing that ties it all is cap- capitalism.

Alexander AviñaGuest

22:46

Yeah.

Miguel GarciaHost

22:47

Right.

Alexander AviñaGuest

22:47

I mean, this is what is-

Miguel GarciaHost

22:48

Right.