Retail Is Also Played on the Field

Imagine the impact of 5.5 million fans arriving in Mexico during the second quarter of 2026 — not only to cheer for their national soccer teams, but also to spark a wave of consumption, investment, and business opportunities. The FIFA World Cup, co-hosted with the United States and Canada, could inject up to US$3.5 billion into the national economy, according to estimates from both the organizers and Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism.

In Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara — the key host cities for the tournament — a significant boost is expected for commerce, tourism, and services. Beyond packed stadiums, restaurants, fan festivals, and the excitement in the streets, offices, and homes of fans, the real match will be played in businesses, retail chains, and marketplaces. This event will not only be a sporting spectacle; it will be a strategic platform for economic growth.

The biggest winners could be Mexican entrepreneurs and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) capable of turning soccer passion into sustainable sales. From food, beverages, and apparel to souvenirs, logistics, and digital commerce, demand will grow as rarely seen before.

However, competing on a global playing field requires more than just a great product. It takes organization, efficiency, and responsiveness. This is where critical tools such as GS1’s international GTIN, GLN, and EPC standards come into play, serving as fundamental building blocks for stronger and more efficient modern supply chains.

Translated into business terms, these identifiers make it possible to transform the excitement of the opening whistle into a hat trick of efficiency, traceability, and access to formal markets, especially in retail, e-commerce, exports, and logistics.

To understand their strategic value, the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is a GS1 barcode that uniquely identifies every product or service, including different packaging levels of the same item (individual unit, case, or pallet) on the shelf or at the point of sale. Meanwhile, the GLN (Global Location Number) identifies companies, warehouses, stores, and even internal areas within an organization, specifying who is involved and where each operation takes place.

Equally important is the EPC (Electronic Product Code), a digital identifier linked to smart tags that automatically captures information through RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. Its primary 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 48 of the tournament’s 104 matches, meaning weeks of intense consumer activity. The Mexico City National Chamber of Commerce (CANACO) projects a 50% increase in food and beverage sales, a 35% rise in merchandising, and a 40% boost in hospitality.

For a Mexican SME producing snacks, sportswear, or promotional products, this could mean contracts with distributors, retail chains, or digital platforms worth between MX$500 million and MX$1 billion (US$28 million and US$57 million) — figures that would normally take years to achieve. The challenge is that 7 out of 10 of these businesses lose between 10% and 15% of their annual sales due to logistics errors, disorganized inventories, or lack of visibility. In other words, they have the talent and ambition to succeed, but they are playing without a strategy.

This is where GS1 standards change the rules of the game, reducing these failures by 92% and enabling real-time tracking of 10,000 units. Goodbye excess inventory; hello just-in-time deliveries for Fan Fests!

In this context, e-commerce will be the main stadium. Platforms such as Mercado Libre and Amazon Mexico anticipate a 60% spike in traffic. With a GS1 barcode, products from local entrepreneurs and MSMEs can stand out in marketplaces and digital catalogs while seamlessly complying with NOM-051 commercial and health labeling regulations.

For example, an energy drink bottler in Monterrey implemented these codes and saw its online sales grow by 45%, expanding into other regions of the United States through fulfillment processes that begin when a customer places an order and end when the product is delivered.

Certified companies report 30% greater visibility and a 25% increase in revenue — a scoreboard that goes from 0–0 to 3–0 in stoppage time. This translates into greater visibility, stronger consumer trust, and higher conversion rates.

Exports will also play a key role. The nearshoring trend, 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 looking for local brands to bring a piece of Mexico back to their home countries. In this environment, digital customs procedures and traceability technologies can significantly accelerate logistics processes, reducing customs clearance times from seven days to just two.

Consider a textile company in Puebla exporting T-shirts to Texas during Mexico’s national team matches, taking advantage of the commercial and geographic proximity to the United States. Cases like this reflect a growing reality. Companies that adopt GS1 standards will be better positioned to integrate into international supply chains, fulfill larger orders, and respond quickly to more demanding markets. In other words, they will move from selling locally to competing in the major leagues, exporting 40% more than their competitors.

Logistics completes the counterattack. With 16 stadiums and fan buses everywhere, demand for transportation and pop-up operations will soar. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) messages will reduce costs by between 18% and 22%, allowing businesses to scale from 100 to 5,000 daily orders with precision. As a result, companies that adopt EDI will capture 15% more market share in the tournament’s supply chains, equivalent to an additional MX$200 million.

At our organization, we continuously support SMEs, microbusinesses, and entrepreneurs across the country by providing them with tools such as the traditional barcode and the new 2D code. These technologies help businesses professionalize their products, strengthen their operations, and facilitate integration into commercial supply chains.

Today, more than ever, and during the FIFA World Cup, these capabilities will be essential for businesses to compete on equal footing, achieve sustainable growth, and access new opportunities in both the domestic and global retail markets.