Tyler Cowen: Is Mexico Safe Enough for the World Cup?

With the World Cup starting Thursday, we will have a truly North American event. Thirteen of the games, an eighth of the total, will be played in Mexico—five in Mexico City, four in Guadalajara, and four in Monterrey.

Yet Americans and soccer fans around the world might be wondering whether those games will be safe to attend. After all, it was only in February of this year that street shoot-outs and battles with drug gangs commanded the headlines.

Murder and mayhem ruled after the Mexican government took out drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (“El Mencho”), leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The cartel’s response was swift and violent, most noticeably in tourist hot spot Puerto Vallarta, where parts of the coastal town were set on fire, roads were barricaded, and tourists had to shelter in place. The goal was to send a message to both the Mexican government and the United States, as it is rumored that the killing of Cervantes was aided by U.S. intelligence.

In spite of all that, the good news and the bad news is that Mexico probably will stay about as safe as it has been. So if you want to see the World Cup with especially enthusiastic crowds, this is a great chance to do so. (I can also vouch for the food in all three host cities.)