The Mexican government has presented its strategy to turn this summer’s World Cup soccer tournament into an engine to strengthen trade, sports, tourism, and culture in the country where most of the games will be hosted. The Mexico 2026 Social World Cup project includes cultural events like soccer matches between robots, a public transit plan, and a new app where fans can sell securely sell any tickets they can’t use.

During a conference last week, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the intention is “to leave a sporting legacy in our country that goes beyond the competition itself.”

“[In this World Cup] the eyes of the world will be here,” Sheinbaum said, “and what they will see is a great country with an enormous cultural heritage. They will see that we are building a nation that is fairer, freer, and more democratic.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in Mexico, the United States and Canada next June and July. The proposal for the Social World Cup project includes more than 177 parties and 5,000 activities related to the event, as well as 74 tournaments and soccer cups aimed at students, workers, and the general public. It will also include close to 1,500 actions within the Vive Saludable program (which promotes healthy lifestyles) and the rehabilitation of 4,200 public sports fields and spaces.

The plan also aims to break three Guinness World Records: the “Largest Soccer Shirt Human Image,” the “Largest Soccer Class,” and the “Largest Soccer Mural.” A robotics world cup will also be organized in which autonomous robots, programmed and designed by national and international high school and undergraduate students, will participate. The call for the latter competition was opened on November 28, and all matches will be broadcast in the Mexican venues in real time.

Get to Know Mexico

Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, during the presentation of the “Mexico 2026 Social World Cup” plan, a federal initiative that sets the guidelines to host the next FIFA World Cup.

Cortesía Presidencia de México/Juan Carlos Buenrostro

Among the actions presented is the creation of the “Conoce México” app; the name is Spanish for “Get to Know Mexico.” The app was developed jointly by the the country’s Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Tourism. According to the authorities, it will have an intuitive and accessible interface that will allow fans, both local and foreign, to consult updated information on matches, venues, routes, services, and cultural activities.

The application will have three main sections. First is a tourism section, where users can find information on World Cup venues, alternative events, cultural events in different locations, as well as gastronomic and ecotourism recommendations. An interactive tourist atlas will list more than 260 fan routes, points of interest and thematic roads.

There’s a dedication section for 2026 World Cup tournament, including details about the stadiums and game schedules, as well as real time results and standings.

Finally, a Services section will provide information on transportation, connectivity, special tours, and mobility routes.

The application will be available in English and Spanish to cater to the approximately 5.5 million domestic and foreign visitors that Mexico expects to receive during the World Cup. Although there is still no definite date for its launch, it is expected to be ready in the next few months.

Ticket Market

At the same press event, Iván Escalante, head of Mexico’s Federal Consumer Protection Agency, or Profeco, announced that an agreement has been reached with FIFA to enable a ticket sales platform that will operate in Spanish and will display prices in Mexican pesos, in accordance with national legislation.

The official explained that, in addition, and in collaboration with the international organization, work is being done on a “ticket relocation system.” (In other words, there will be official resale of tickets.) This tool will allow those who cannot use their tickets for a World Cup match to sell them safely and at appropriate prices.

The objective is to avoid informal resale. “This platform will allow fans who are no longer going to use their tickets to make them available to someone else at fair prices,” said Escalante, who did not provide details on the progress of the project or its date of operation.

Profeco’s plan has four key directives: The prevention and monitoring of misleading advertising; dissuasion through informative campaigns and surveillance operations; protection through attention modules in airports, stations, tourist centers, and stadiums; and the launching of assistance tools such. One example of that last point is the platform “Who’s Who in the World Cup,” where fans can consult and compare prices of products and services in order to facilitate informed purchases.

This FIFA World Cup will be historic. For the first time in more than 90 years, the tournament will have three host countries. 48 national teams will participate—16 more than in any edition since 1998—and 104 matches will be played, which implies an extension of around 10 match days and 40 additional matches compared to previous tournaments.

In this context, the event represents a considerable opportunity to boost tourism and trade in Mexico. (The United States presented its own initiative that will give toruist visa processing priority to fans with tickets.) However, some studies warn that the championship could generate a significant environmental impact, in addition to increasing pressure on essential services such as water and electricity. These aspects were not directly addressed in the strategy laid out by Sheinbaum’s government, at least for now.

This story was originally published by WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.