The 2026 World Cup will bring development opportunities for digital payments in Mexico.

According to a report by Mexico's El Diario, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will provide a unique opportunity for the development of digital payments in Mexico. Executives from payment operators Visa and MercadoPago said that the increase in consumption and the influx of tourists brought by the event will drive the exponential growth of contactless payments, leaving a more modern and financially inclusive economic infrastructure in Mexico. Visa data shows that the penetration rate of contactless payments in Mexico has soared from 2% two years ago to over 25%. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 94% of transactions were made in non-cash ways, and 88% used contactless technology. Mexican tourists were the second-highest group in terms of credit card consumption. Experience shows that tourists' consumption during such events can be 30% higher. MercadoPago has activated more than one million contactless payment-enabled terminals in Mexico, and six out of every ten of its transactions use this technology. The two operators believe that the World Cup will promote the digital transformation of the Mexican economy, expand the coverage of credit and savings products, and reduce the use of cash at the same time. Former Mexican football star Carlos Vela will also endorse the World Cup advertisements of the two operators to enhance the publicity effect. (Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Mexican States)