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Bono and The Edge Appear With Claudia Sheinbaum at Street Child World Cup Event in Mexico City
Bono and The Edge joined Claudia Sheinbaum at Mexico City's Street Child World Cup event, where Bono said, “My president.”
U2’s return to Mexico City took an unexpected turn on Thursday, May 14, when Bono and The Edge joined Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum at the General Assembly of the Street Child World Cup. The appearance brought the Irish band into a setting that was less about rock spectacle than the tournament’s stated focus on social inclusion and children’s rights.
The meeting took place at the Hidalgo Theater of the Mexican Social Security Institute, where Sheinbaum greeted young participants in the international competition before being joined by the two musicians. Mexico City’s secretary of tourism, Alejandra Frausto, shared videos of the encounter on social media, giving a more complete view of the brief onstage moment.
As the president and the band members addressed the room, Bono offered Sheinbaum a quick, slightly startling show of deference: “My president.” He followed the remark with a hug, prompting an ovation from the audience. It was the kind of offhand gesture that quickly takes on a larger life in public, especially when it involves a global rock figure and a head of state in the same frame.
Sheinbaum later posted her own video of the encounter, where she introduced herself in English. “Hello, nice to meet you,” she said to the pair. The Edge replied, “Nice to meet you, such a fan of yours,” before Bono added, “My goodness, universal healthcare, you have raised the minimum wage, you come to the Street Child World Cup, you meet The Edge and myself. I don’t know how you have time.”
Mexico City has been hosting the 2026 Street Child World Cup this week, with 30 teams from around the world taking part in the tournament from May 6 to 14. In a statement on U2’s website, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. framed the event in the language of advocacy rather than celebrity. “It’s a little NGO with a big kick for kids with all of the talent and none of the access,” he said. “Our band are proud supporters.”
The visit also fits into a broader U2 return to Mexico after nine years away. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Mullen Jr. were in the country to film the music video for “Street of Dreams,” a song slated for their upcoming studio album expected at the end of 2026. Their presence has already drawn attention from local officials, including a formal invitation from Mexico City head of government Clara Brugada for the group to perform at the Zócalo, the city’s central public square.
Mexico has long held a special place in U2’s live history. One of the band’s most documented shows there was captured on Popmart: Live From Mexico City in 1997, during the Popmart Tour. The last time they played the capital was in October 2017, just three weeks after the earthquake that hit central Mexico, as part of the 30th anniversary run for The Joshua Tree. Against that backdrop, this week’s appearance reads less like a casual stop and more like another chapter in a relationship that keeps resurfacing, whether on a stadium stage or, now, at a children’s rights event with the country’s president in attendance.
