La Jornada: Sectur: economic projections for the 2026 World Cup were exceeded

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 7 million 800 thousand national and international travelers arrived in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey; An economic impact of 65 billion pesos was generated and 130,900 jobs were created, the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) detailed yesterday.

The figures exceeded the agency’s projections before the sports event, when it anticipated the arrival of 5.5 million additional visitors, income of more than one billion dollars (17,880 million pesos at today’s exchange rate) and the generation of 24,000 direct jobs.

In Mexico, 13 World Cup matches were played, distributed between Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, which included all of the Tricolor’s home games.

Sectur data indicated that between June 8 and July 19, the country recorded the arrival of 7 million 800 thousand national and international travelers, including tourists and hikers. The first were those whose stay lasted at least a whole day, and the second were only passing through and did not last more than 24 hours.

The soccer fair, he added, generated a total economic impact in the three Mexican cities estimated at 65 billion pesos; a tourist spill of 42,276 million pesos, as well as the generation of 130,900 jobs.

The average hotel occupancy in the three venues was 66 percent, which represented an increase of 13 percent compared to the same period in 2025, and only during match days, occupancy ranged between 85 and 90 percent.

In terms of connectivity, he added, the headquarters airports handled 6 million 400 thousand passengers, of which 4 million 200 thousand corresponded to domestic flights and 2 million 200 thousand to international flights.

Regarding the flow of international passengers, the Mexico City International Airport registered an increase of 1.5 percent; that of Guadalajara, 11.5 percent; that of Monterrey, 10.3 percent; and the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, 18 percent, compared to the same period of the previous year.

According to Sectur, the hotel sector reported an average increase of 51.5 percent in lodging prices. Sales increases of between 50 and 80 percent were recorded in food and beverage establishments and the average consumption ticket per customer in these places increased 60 percent.

The capital, winner

At the Azteca stadium, or Mexico City, where five matches of the tournament were played, 4 million 400 thousand travelers were received, of which 2 million 500 thousand were excursionists and 1 million 900 thousand tourists, according to Sectur.

Visitors to the country’s capital generated an economic benefit of 25,865 million pesos, an increase of 41 percent compared to the same season in 2025.

According to the agency, 1,100,000 travelers arrived in Monterrey, Nuevo León, where four games were played, made up of 610,000 hikers and 490,000 tourists.

The estimated economic impact was 5 billion pesos, 21 percent more than in 2025.

Regarding Guadalajara, Jalisco, the entity that experienced four games, Sectur counted the arrival of 2 million 300 thousand travelers: 1 million 400 thousand excursionists and 918 thousand tourists, who generated an economic benefit of 11 thousand 411 million pesos.

The FIFA Fan Fests were the meeting point for millions of pambolo fans or simple visitors who wanted to live the experience. According to Sectur, these spaces registered an attendance of more than 6 million 700 thousand people in the three World Cup venues.

In Mexico City and Monterrey, 2,500,000 attendees each attended, while Guadalajara received 1,720,000 people.