People “have come to be recruited by the cartels,” said Roberto Alarcon, Jalisco’s general coordinator for strategic security, citing the growing trend of Colombian ex‑soldiers and former guerrillas joining organized crime groups.

Alarcon said security agencies have already turned back several Colombians who could not justify their stay, warning that foreign recruits may try to enter Jalisco using tourist packages as the World Cup approaches.

He said the participation of foreign ex‑fighters has grown in recent years, with cartels, militias and armies seeking recruits who bring military training and experience from Colombia’s long conflict with guerrilla groups.

Last June the Mexican army detained 10 former Colombian soldiers in neighboring Michoacan after a landmine blast killed six Mexican soldiers, a case officials say shows the scale of the recruitment trend.

Experts note that the 2017 demobilization of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and shrinking military budgets in Colombia have pushed ex‑fighters abroad in search of work, including with Mexico’s criminal groups.

Guadalajara, a 2026 host city, is preparing with more than 2,000 surveillance cameras, drones and anti‑drone teams, alongside air and ground units, to secure matches during the tournament which kicks off in June.

Colombian mercenaries have been coveted by militias and crime groups around the world for their combat experience in fighting leftist guerrillas.

Jalisco’s capital Guadalajara is preparing to receive tens of thousands of visitors from around the world for the quadrennial sporting blockbuster.

Guadalajara will host four World Cup matches, including the Mexican team’s second group‑stage game on June 18 against South Korea.