On January 25, 2026, armed assailants unleashed a hail of bullets at a soccer field in Salamanca, Guanajuato state, Mexico, ending the lives of 11 people and injuring 12 others after a game. The attackers, arriving in multiple vehicles, directed at least 100 rounds of gunfire at families who remained on the field post-match to socialize.
Of the victims, ten succumbed to their injuries on the Cabañas pitch in the Loma de Flores neighborhood, while one individual later died in the hospital. Among the injured were a woman and a minor.
Salamanca’s Mayor, Cesar Prieto, revealed that the assailants arrived just as the soccer match concluded. “Unfortunately, criminal groups are trying to subjugate authorities, something they are not going to achieve,” stated Mayor Prieto. He urged President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene, citing an escalating crime wave afflicting the city.
The reasons behind this brutal act of violence remain undetermined. An investigation has begun, and security forces have been deployed to the area. This incident follows a spate of violence in the city, where just a day earlier, six people were killed in separate attacks around Salamanca.
This horrific event underscores the ongoing surge of violence tied to organized crime in Salamanca, a city in central Mexico. Guanajuato state, home to Salamanca, reported the highest murder rate in Mexico in the previous year.
The region is plagued by a brutal rivalry between two major criminal entities: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima gang, also known as the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima. These groups are involved in illicit activities such as fuel theft, drug trafficking, and extortion throughout the state.
A significant Pemex refinery is located in Salamanca, making it a prime target for criminal groups engaged in fuel theft.
The U.S. government has responded directly to the activities of both criminal organizations. President Donald Trump declared the Jalisco New Generation Cartel a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and sanctions were imposed on the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima.
In reaction to U.S. pressure, Mexican authorities extradited 37 high-impact suspects to the U.S. Meanwhile, U.S. forces have executed at least 36 strikes on vessels believed to be involved in drug smuggling, resulting in at least 117 deaths.
Despite the increasing violence, Mexico’s government reported a murder rate of 17.5 per 100,000 residents in 2025, which officials consider the lowest since 2016.
Soccer fields and other recreational spaces have traditionally been safe communal gathering points in Mexican towns and cities. The assault in Salamanca has shattered this sense of security, highlighting the readiness of criminal groups to strike at vulnerable targets where families congregate.