Mexico reverses decision to change school calendar for 2026 World Cup
Mexican education authorities have rolled back a decision to end classes before the World Cup after public backlash.
Mexican children will be watching the World Cup , but they won't have the entire month off to do it. The country's authority overseeing public education announced May 7 that it would end the school year June 5, more than a month ahead of the planned final day. Authorities cited extreme heat in some regions of the country but also noted the World Cup matches taking place in Mexico as another reason for the change.
The elected officials cited proposals from Mexico's largest teachers' union as the driving force behind the modification, but the decision was met with public outcry as parents and educational experts decried the late modification that cut more than a month off some state's class days. That led the organization to convene an extraordinary meeting of the top education officials in each state plus Mexico City, and, after hours-long meetings, the group opted to reverse the decision. "In the face of the call of our president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to listen and look after the proposals of mothers and fathers of families, caretakers, teachers and the entire educational community: The calendar for the 2005-26 school cycle will stay without change: The concluding date will be July 15," Mario Delgado, the country's Secretary of Education, wrote in a social media statement.
Delgado left open the possibility there could be smaller modifications made to the schedule, and even those who came out in opposition of the change said it may make sense to give students holidays on the days when Mexican cities are hosting matches. "There aren’t that many World Cup matchdays. They’re days of celebration, but there’s no reason to interfere with the rest of the academic calendar," Juan Carlos Flores Miramontes, the Secretary of Education for the state of Jalisco, which will host matches, told reporters Monday.
"The rest of the year will flow the way that was planned. Today, we’re satisfied with what was a unanimous decision after dialogue. It was many, many hours of reflection.