On Sunday, January 25, 2026, armed attackers shot into a crowd at a soccer field in Salamanca, Guanajuato state, Mexico, leaving 11 people dead and 12 others injured. After the conclusion of a soccer match, the attackers arrived in multiple vehicles and fired over 100 shots at families who were socializing post-match.
At the Cabañas soccer field in the Loma de Flores neighborhood, 10 individuals were pronounced dead on site, while one more succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. Among the injured were a woman and a minor.
Salamanca Mayor Cesar Prieto confirmed that the attackers made their move at the end of the soccer match. “Unfortunately, there are criminal groups trying to subjugate authorities, something they are not going to achieve,” Prieto said. He also reached out to President Claudia Sheinbaum for assistance while describing the ongoing crime wave affecting the city.
The reason behind the shooting remains unclear. An inquiry is underway, with security forces stationed at the crime scene. The shooting took place a day after five men were murdered and another man was kidnapped in Salamanca.
The violence in Salamanca, situated in central Mexico, is escalating due to the presence of organized crime. Guanajuato state, home to Salamanca, reported the highest homicide numbers in Mexico the previous year.
The region is witnessing a fierce rivalry between two major criminal organizations – the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima, also known as the Santa Rosa de Lima gang. These groups are involved in numerous illicit activities including oil and fuel theft, drug smuggling, and extortion throughout the state.
Salamanca houses a significant Pemex refinery, making it a strategic location for criminal groups involved in fuel theft.
The United States has directly confronted both criminal organizations. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has been labeled as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by President Donald Trump. The U.S. government has also imposed sanctions on the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima.
U.S. forces have executed at least 36 strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs by sea, resulting in the deaths of approximately 125 individuals. Under pressure from the U.S., Mexican authorities extradited 37 high-profile suspects to the United States.
Regardless of the violence, the Mexican government announced that the country’s murder rate in 2025 was 17.5 murders per 100,000 residents, which they claim is the lowest rate since 2016.
The deliberate targeting of civilians at community events such as soccer matches is a particularly troubling development in cartel violence. These attacks instill widespread fear in communities and show the readiness of criminal groups to target vulnerable areas where families congregate.
Recreational spaces like soccer fields have historically been considered safe community gathering points in Mexican towns and cities. The attack in Salamanca shattered this sense of safety, attacking families during a pastime that unites communities.