The timing made the incident harder to dismiss. Mexico had already secured top spot in Group A and qualified for the last 16 before kick-off. With no immediate result pressure, the match should have been a controlled conclusion to the group stage.
Instead, the crowd became the main talking point. The chant has been associated with Mexico matches for roughly 25 years and is used to unsettle opposing goalkeepers. Its recurrence at major tournaments has kept the issue in football’s disciplinary spotlight.
The report says the chant has appeared at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups, despite repeated efforts by Mexican authorities to stop it.
The financial consequences are already familiar. The report says has fined Mexico hundreds of thousands of dollars over the chant, while previous matches have also brought other sanctions.
Those penalties have failed to produce a lasting change. The latest incident matters because it happened after Mexico had already achieved its sporting objective. Qualification, group position and match context did not prevent the behaviour from returning.
That weakens any argument that the problem is limited to high-pressure fixtures or isolated frustration. It points instead to a persistent stadium culture that campaigns and punishments have yet to remove.
The next stage will be the response from football authorities and Mexico’s federation. A further disciplinary decision could add an unwanted storyline to the team’s knockout campaign, while another recurrence would deepen questions about whether existing measures are effective. Mexico now has a chance to shift attention back to its performances-but only if the stands stop dictating the narrative.