Mexico to Host Iran Football Team / Mexican Diaspora Chairs

EU-Mexico Trade Agreement highlights Cocoa Opportunities. President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized that the updated trade agreement with the European Union establishes a zero-tariff policy for Mexican agricultural products, generating major export opportunities for cocoa. The federal strategy aims to bypass large intermediaries and facilitate direct economic benefits for small-scale cultivation communities across Tabasco, Chiapas, and Veracruz.

Mexico to Host Iran Football Team for World Cup. President Sheinbaum confirmed that Mexico offered to host the Iranian national football team in Tijuana, Baja California, for their lodging during the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage. The decision follows the United States government's refusal to allow the team to stay within its territory due to visa restrictions in the United States. The setup allows the Iranian squad to sleep in Mexico and travel across the border solely for their scheduled matches.

Ebola Screenings and World Cup Health Protocols. President Sheinbaum announced that Minister of Health David Kershenobich is coordinating special health protocols and epidemiological screening filters ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The active measures respond to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), whose national football team is scheduled to play a match in Guadalajara. The strategy includes sanitization and health screenings for both players and tourists arriving from Africa to mitigate contagion risks.

FGR Interviews With Maru Campos and Rocha Moya. President Sheinbaum clarified that upcoming interviews conducted by the Attorney General's Office (FGR) with Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos and Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha are standard investigative procedures and do not constitute formal criminal indictments. Campos will be interviewed regarding an unauthorized laboratory operation involving two deceased foreign agents, while Rocha is called under a separate independent probe.

State-Level Broadcasts for Government Report. President Sheinbaum announced that her upcoming 1.5-year accountability report, scheduled for May 31, 2026, will be broadcast via public screens across all 32 Mexican states. The event cannot take place in Mexico City's Zocalo due to ongoing infrastructure preparations and structural fan zones managed by FIFA ahead of the World Cup.

Mexican Diaspora Academic Chairs Program. Rosaura Ruiz, Head, Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (SECIHTI), alongside Deputy Minister Violeta Vázquez, presented the Cátedras de la Diáspora Mexicana (Mexican Diaspora Chairs) program. The initiative provides academic recognition within the National System of Researchers (SNI) and annual mobility grants to connect Mexican scientists and academics living abroad with domestic research and university projects.