Citizen Security and Human Rights in the Context of Sporting Mega-Events: Challenges of Policing Ahead in Mexico City Leading up to the 2026 World Cup

Abstract

The organization of sporting mega-events poses significant challenges for the protection of human rights, particularly with regard to policing in contexts of high crowd density and institutional pressure. This article argues that sporting mega-events activate a heightened State obligation of prevention when has prior knowledge of specific risks related to the use of force, social protest, technological surveillance, and discrimination—an obligation that cannot be relativized under arguments of exceptionality or international image. Through a documentary analysis of Inter-American jurisprudence, institutional reports, and local regulations, with a context-specific focus on Mexico City, the article examines the tensions between public order and fundamental rights, structural risks in policing, the differentiated impact on vulnerable groups, and the challenges arising from surveillance technologies. The original contribution lies in translating Inter-American and universal standards into a concrete institutional planning scenario and proposing operational preventive strategies—including a risk management matrix—to ensure policing practices consistent with human rights during the 2026 World Cup.