2026 World Cup to Stress-Test Cybersecurity, Business Continuity

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will significantly increase cybersecurity risks and business continuity threats for companies operating in Mexico, say industry experts. This global event will require organizations to strengthen critical infrastructure against digital fraud, phishing, and system saturation.

The magnitude of this sporting event represents a juncture where digital exposure reaches maximum levels, demanding a transition from reactive models to proactive governance frameworks. “The World Cup does not only represent a commercial opportunity; it also functions as a true endurance test for the technological infrastructure of companies,” says Ricardo Millán, Proexec Head, Lockton Mexico. “Those organizations that do not have well-structured cybersecurity and business continuity plans can face operational interruptions, financial losses, and reputational damage.”

According to research by Silikn, Mexico presents a structural lag in cybersecurity characterized by a gap between policy design and tactical response capacity. The 2025 Cybersecurity Report: Vulnerability and Maturity Challenges to Bridging the Gaps in LAC, developed by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), positions the country in a state of persistent vulnerability. This remains true despite the existence of the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the creation of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency (ATDT) in 2025.

The threat environment is aggravated by the sophistication of professionalized cybercrime, which has adopted scalable business models such as ransomware as a service, powered by AI and automation. 

The 2026 FIFA World Cup introduces additional technical complexity, as it is the first edition organized simultaneously by three countries: Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This tripartite structure introduces specific challenges regarding data sovereignty, cross-border information flows, and the necessity for synchronized defense mechanisms to protect the more than 5.5 million visitors projected for the Mexican venues alone. Eleazar Aguirre, Researcher, Instituto Politécnico Nacional’s (IPN) Cybersecurity Laboratory, says that the scale of the event requires an immediate update of digital frameworks to mitigate risks associated with high-profile international gatherings.

To mitigate organizational exposure, institutions like the IPN and specialized consultants have defined operational and technical frameworks that companies must integrate into their business continuity plans. 

Lockton Mexico, for example, recommends a comprehensive strategy that moves beyond isolated technological solutions to focus on risk transfer and human training. Millán says that the management of these risks requires an integrated vision combining prevention, response plans, and operational continuity. 

Priority actions for the B2B sector involve a multi-layered approach to risk management. Organizations should first evaluate cyber and operational exposure by conducting diagnostics to identify vulnerabilities in systems, critical processes, and supply chains. Following this assessment, companies must update business continuity plans to incorporate scenarios associated with high digital exposure, such as traffic peaks, technological failures, and coordinated attacks.

Operational readiness also requires refining incident response protocols. This process includes defining responsible parties, decision flows, and internal communication channels to act with speed. Since the human factor remains one of the primary entry points for cyberattacks, sensitizing collaborators is vital. Organizations should train teams to identify malicious emails, fraudulent links, and suspicious sites. Furthermore, establishing remote work guidelines becomes essential during the tournament, as the use of public networks and personal devices increases.

Finally, companies should review insurance schemes to mitigate the financial impact of potential technological incidents. This process involves evaluating cyber and crime insurance, along with business interruption coverage. The combination of prevention, training, and risk transfer is key to operating with resilience during the World Cup and other high-exposure events.