'Chino! Chino!' chants, beer cups hurled at Korean fans during World Cup match against Mexico

A South Korean YouTuber has described being subjected to racial slurs and physical aggression from some spectators during the South Korea-Mexico match at the 2026 North America World Cup.

A video titled "The shocking scene of racial discrimination and verbal abuse at the World Cup Mexico match" was recently posted to the YouTube channel "Young Al Nam YAN."

In the video, the creator — known as Young Al Nam — recounted attending the Group A second-round qualifier in Mexico in person.

Early in the footage, Mexican locals he encountered offered warm words, saying, "Good luck — Korea is a brotherly nation."

But as the South Korean squad entered the pitch for warmups before kickoff, loud booing erupted from the crowd. Every time a Korean player touched the ball during the match, jeers followed without exception.

Young Al Nam said Mexican fans threw beer cups, shoes and hats toward the South Korean supporters' section. He added that cups were hurled from the second and third levels down to the first level, with some Korean fans taking hits to the head in alarming incidents.

Most notably, Mexican fans repeatedly shouted "Chino! Chino!" at Korean supporters — a racially charged term. "Chino" means "Chinese" in Spanish but is widely used in Latin America and Europe as a derogatory slur directed at people of East Asian descent.

"I heard the word 'chino' so many times it was ringing in my ears. It was absolutely absurd," Young Al Nam said. He went on to say, "More than the result of the match, I hope a safe and mature spectator culture takes root."

The incident follows an earlier episode on June 12 at Guadalajara Stadium, where a Korean female influencer cheering for the South Korean national team was mocked by a man seated directly behind her, who made a slant-eye gesture at her. The incident drew widespread condemnation after it became public.

The man was identified as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of the Jalisco State Association of Civil, Topographic, Geometric and Engineering Professionals (CITGEJ). He subsequently posted an apology video on social media and stepped down from the association's presidency.

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