Mexico City tightens security and caps crowds for Mexico-England match after 4 deaths

Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City tightens security and caps crowds for Mexico-England-match" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="158421" data-entity-type="event">Mexico-England match after 4 deaths 1 of 5 | Mexican soccer fans display a banner that reads in Spanish “The ball comeback to home” at the Angel of Independence monument a day before the opening FIFA World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) 2 of 5 | Soccer fans get revved up at a watch party for the World Cup match between Mexico and Czechia on Reforma Ave., near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) 3 of 5 | Soccer fans get revved up at a watch party for the World Cup match between Mexico and Czechia on Reforma Ave., near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) 4 of 5 | Soccer fans get revved up at a watch party on Reforma Ave., near the Angel of Independence monument, for the World Cup soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador, in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) 5 of 5 | Soccer fans gather for a watch party for the World Cup soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador, at the base of the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ Updated 1:44 AM MESZ, July 4, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City (AP) — Mexico will double security and limit capacity at the monument known as the “Angel of Independence” and at the fan festival in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City’s main square for Sunday’s Mexico-England World Cup match after four people died during celebrations following Mexico’s win over Ecuador earlier this week. Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada on Friday announced the measures as she presented the pre- and post-match security plan following the deaths of four fans from asphyxiation and cardiac arrest. As a World Cup host city and with the team advancing farther than it has in 40 years, Mexican fans have poured into the streets to watch the games and celebrate their wins after being priced out of the stadiums by the exorbitant cost of tickets. Mexican authorities have assured spectators that the country is safe and that they took all the safety precautions to host after a February attack in Guadalajara following the death of a cartel boss raised concerns. The decision to reinforce security comes after two women, ages 19 and 44, and a 48-year-old man died of asphyxiation on June 30 in the streets near the central Paseo de la Reforma. Emergency services also treated a 25-year-old man for epilepsy, a seizure and gastrointestinal bleeding. The man died shortly afterward in the hospital from cardiorespiratory arrest. World Cup what to know: France takes center stage in Philly heat as Round of 16 begins 4 MIN READ US soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino to throw out 1st pitch at Seattle Mariners game 1 MIN READ US striker Folarin Balogun says a yellow card, not red card, would have been ‘fair’ at the World Cup 3 MIN READ The Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into the four deaths, which is still ongoing. Brugada told the press that there will be free entry to the Monument to Independence, popularly known as the “Angel,” and the Zócalo on Sunday, but with limited capacity for everyone’s safety. Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City’s Secretary of Public Security, Pablo Vázquez, announced that only 25,000 people will be allowed access to the Angel monument, a popular spot for fans to celebrate team victories. Once that limit is reached, fans will be directed to other locations along the Paseo de la Reforma, where multiple screens will be set up to watch the game and the celebrations. A similar procedure will be followed at the Zócalo, the city’s main square, where access will also be closed once capacity is reached. Visitors will then be asked to go to one of the more than 50 designated viewing areas throughout Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City to watch the game. Security will be reinforced along Paseo de la Reforma with 6,000 officers, double the number deployed on June 30, Vázquez explained. There will be 7,500 police officers around Azteca Stadium, while 3,300 will be deployed in the Zócalo. Vázquez explained that a security perimeter will be established in the areas near the Angel of Independence to control the flow of people. Street vendors and delivery drivers will not be allowed. Strategic closures of the metro and Metrobus lines near Paseo de la Reforma will also be implemented. Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City’s Secretary of Government, César Cravioto, announced that from the early morning of July 5 until the following day, the sale of alcoholic beverages will be prohibited on the streets of the city center. Consumption will only be permitted in banquet halls, restaurants, hotels, private clubs, movie theaters, theaters and auditoriums. The city’s Secretary of Civil Protection, Myriam Urzúa, urged fans to avoid the crowd games that have become popular, including “Want to Fly!,” where people are thrown into the air and caught by the crowd, and “Shall We Swim!,” where the crowd advances in unison to the song popularized by the character Dory in the Disney movie “Finding Nemo.” Follow AP’s World Cup coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup