Imagine the impact of 5.5 million fans arriving in Mexico in the second quarter of 2026, not only to cheer on their national soccer team, but also to unleash a wave of consumption, investment, and business opportunities. The FIFA World Cup, co-hosted with the United States and Canada, could generate up to $3.5 billion in economic activity nationwide , according to estimates from both the organizers and the Mexican Ministry of Tourism .
In Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara, key venues for this sporting event, a significant boost to commerce, tourism, and services is expected. Beyond the packed stadiums, restaurants, and Fan Fests, and the excitement in the streets, offices, and homes of fans, the real game will be played in businesses, retail chains, and online marketplaces , because this event will not only be a sporting spectacle but also a strategic platform for economic growth.
Those who stand to gain the most are Mexican entrepreneurs and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) capable of transforming football fever into sustainable sales. From food, beverages, and clothing to souvenirs, logistics, and e-commerce, demand will grow like never before.
However, to compete on a global playing field, a good product is not enough. Order, efficiency, and responsiveness are essential. This is where crucial tools like GS1’s international standards GTIN, GLN, and EPC come in , fundamental for strengthening and streamlining modern supply chains.
Translated into business terms: these identifiers allow the excitement of the initial whistle to be transformed into a hat-trick of efficiency, traceability and access to formal markets, especially in retail , e-commerce , exports and logistics .
To understand its strategic value, the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is a GS1 barcode that uniquely identifies each product or service, including different presentations of the same item (unit, box, or pallet) on the shelf or at the point of sale. The GLN (Global Location Number) , on the other hand , is used to identify companies, warehouses, stores, and even internal areas within an organization, specifying who participates in and where each operation takes place.
Equally important is the EPC (Electronic Product Code) , a digital identifier linked to smart tags that allows for the automatic capture of information using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. Its main advantage is enabling real-time tracking and traceability of products and shipments throughout the entire value chain. Together, these standards reduce errors, accelerate deliveries, and improve operational control.
A market that will move billions of products
Mexico will host 13 of the 104 matches, which translates to weeks of intense consumer spending. The National Chamber of Commerce of Mexico City (Canaco) anticipates a 50% increase in food and beverage sales, as well as 35% in merchandising and 40% in hospitality .
For a Mexican SME in the snack, sportswear, or promotional products sector, this can mean contracts with distributors, retail chains, or digital platforms for amounts ranging from 500 million to 1 billion pesos, which would normally take years to achieve. The challenge is that seven out of ten of these companies lose between 10% and 15% of their annual sales due to logistical errors , disorganized inventory, or a lack of visibility; in other words, they have talent and a desire to succeed, but they operate without a strategy.
This is where GS1 standards are a game-changer, reducing errors by 92% and enabling real-time tracking of 10,000 units. Goodbye to excess inventory, hello to just-in-time deliveries for Fan Fests!
In this regard, e -commerce will be the main stage . Platforms like Mercado Libre and Amazon Mexico anticipate a 60% increase in traffic. With a GS1 barcode, products from local entrepreneurs and SMEs will be able to stand out in marketplaces and digital catalogs, seamlessly complying with NOM-051 regarding the labeling of commercial and health information.
For example, an energy drink bottling company in Monterrey integrated these codes and saw its online sales grow by 45% , expanding to other regions of the United States through logistics processes that occur from when a customer makes a purchase until they receive their order ( fulfillment ).
Certified businesses report 30% greater visibility and a 25% increase in revenue—like a scoreboard going from 0-0 to 3-0 in stoppage time. This translates to more visibility, increased consumer trust, and higher conversion rates.
Exports will also play a key role. The nearshoring phenomenon , strengthened by the USMCA, finds in the World Cup an extraordinary opportunity for Mexican companies to take their products beyond our borders.
Countless visitors from around the world will be seeking out all kinds of local brands to take a piece of Mexico back to their countries. In this scenario, digital customs and traceability technologies can significantly accelerate logistics processes, reducing clearance times from seven to two days.
Let’s consider a textile company in Puebla that exports t-shirts to Texas during Mexican National Team matches, taking advantage of its commercial and geographic proximity to the United States. Cases like this reflect a growing trend. Companies that incorporate GS1 standards will be better positioned to integrate into international chains, handle larger orders, and respond quickly to more demanding markets. In other words, they will go from selling locally to competing in the big leagues, exporting 40% more than their competitors.
Logistics completes the counterattack . With 16 stadiums and fan buses everywhere, the demand for transportation and pop-up shops will skyrocket. Electronic messaging, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), will reduce costs between 18% and 22%, scaling from 100 to 5,000 orders per day with precision. Thus, companies that adopt it will capture 15% more market share in the tournament’s supply chains, equivalent to an additional 200 million pesos.
In our organization, we maintain a permanent support effort for SMEs, micro-businesses and entrepreneurs in the country, bringing them tools such as the traditional barcode and the innovative 2D code that allow them to professionalize their products, strengthen their operations and facilitate their integration into commercial chains.
Today more than ever, on the road to the World Cup , these capabilities will be key for them to compete on equal terms, grow sustainably and access new opportunities in national and global retail .
*Juan Carlos Molina is currently the general director of GS1 Mexico .
Comment and connect with Juan Carlos through LinkedIn .
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @GrupoT21
