Pumas fans cheer prior to a Mexican soccer league semifinal second leg match against Pachuca in Mexico City, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Less than a month before the start of the 2026 World Cup , the Mexican Football Federation announced on Thursday a new advertising campaign that seeks to prevent its fans from using a chant considered homophobic during the tournament.
The chant, that has been an unwelcome feature at matches involving Mexico and its fervent fans for two decades, has resurfaced strongly in recent weeks, including the Liga MX playoffs matches held just last weekend.
The name of the advertising campaign launched by the Mexican Federation is “The Wave Yes, The Chant No” and it features former Mexican national team players from the 1986 World Cup.
The creation of the Wave, the coordinated movement of fans in stadiums, is attributed to George “Krazy” Henderson, an American fan who began orchestrating it at the Oakland Coliseum in 1981, but it became popular globally at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and began to be called the “Mexican Wave”.
“This campaign aims to raise awareness among fans about the importance of supporting the Mexican national team with the wave and not with discriminatory chants that FIFA sanctions,” the federation said in a statement.
Mexico will be the first country to host the World Cup three times, starting on June 11 when it faces South Africa in the opening match. The country was also the host nation in 1970 and 1986, but will share hosting duties this year with the United States and Canada.
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