The Mexico We Were for 24 Days

From June 11 to July 5, for the first time in many, many years, we saw a country united, joyful and hopeful. For 24 days, Mexico was a different place.

After Mexico’s elimination, I’ve seen countless nostalgia-filled edits on social media. Women and men of all ages, some not even that into soccer, utterly wistful because the World Cup is over for our national team, remembering how for nearly four weeks they lived one big party, where they made friends, hugged strangers and watched the whole country united behind a single cause.

And I believe that, beyond the loss to England, which did hurt, the deepest pain for millions of Mexicans is that we don’t know when we’ll see a Mexico like that again. We don’t even know if it will ever happen again. Because for at least 24 days, social class, political ideology and religion didn’t matter. The whole country was united, ecstatic, creating moments that will last a lifetime.

One Reason Was All It Took

The “quiere volar,” the rows of stacked cups, the traffic-cone fights, the “¿Y si sí?” Hugging strangers, coming together around one same cause, made us realize that this deeply divided country is just one reason away from uniting.

Personally, I had never seen the country so united and so happy.

That is what has truly saddened millions of Mexicans.

Because in a country starved for joy — where death, violence and confrontation are the news every single day, at every hour — living four weeks of happiness is a true miracle.

The Miracle Doesn’t Erase Reality

Let me be clear: I’m not saying the country was doing fine for a month. Throughout the World Cup, the disappearances, the erosion of the rule of law, the institutional decay and government corruption all continued. Which is exactly why this summer was unforgettable for so many: because despite the country’s enormous sorrows, we lived something wonderful.

The Lesson We Must Not Forget

If this World Cup taught us anything, it’s that Mexicans can indeed stand united, that the good among us outnumber the bad, that we are organized and creative enough to rally behind a cause. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another World Cup to remind us.

Let’s hope that in the months and years ahead we hold on to part of that unity and that organization: to elect better leaders, to demand a better country, and to tell the politicians who make a living pitting us against one another to go to hell.

I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crowd crush on Paseo de la Reforma during the celebrations of Mexico’s victory over Ecuador. May God grant them strength and comfort.