Alfredo Corchado

After a dip at the beginning of the year, visitors from Mexico are back, and their numbers are growing.

Over the next month, three nations mired in political, economic and social discord will pause to co-host the world's best soccer players and millions of their fans. Along the shared borderlands of the U.S. and Mexico, people steeped in two cultures are looking beyond conflict to don colors of their native or chosen homes – or maybe both.

As the World Cup gets underway, there is also a buzz of optimism that soccer can bring North America - the U.S., Mexico and Canada together.

The U.S., Mexico and Canada have been at odds over immigration, tariffs and other issues. Now the three countries are co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mexico City’s picturesque Avenida de la Reforma, like much of the city, got a facelift in time to host tens of thousands of visitors in the weeks to come.

Mexico’s historic run has inspired millions of migrants and their descendants to seek out and rebuild their roots with their country of origin

Mexico's improbable World Cup winning streak ended July 5th, with a loss to England, but it didn't keep the team's heart and tenacity from delivering

Amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S., Mexican Americans traveled south to reconnect with their roots during the World Cup in Mexico City.

Mexico’s exuberant co-hosting of the World Cup and its team’s performance on the pitch have many looking south for comfort.

Read this exciting story from Los Angeles Times July 11, 2026 issue. During El Tri’s run, diaspora in U.S. looked southward for acceptance