Expertise in staging major sporting events
The success of the Olympic Games Mexico 1968 showed the world that the country and its capital could organise major sporting events. As Latin America’s first Olympic host, Mexico enhanced its global standing and became a trusted organiser of large-scale international competitions.
Mexico City hosted 450 national and international sporting events in 2018 alone. Over the years, it has improved its sports infrastructure, expanded its knowledge of event management, increased physical activity in the community, and boosted its international networking. The economic benefits have also been considerable. Mexico City generated USD 5.37 billion in revenue from staging sports events in the period between 2015 and 2018, a figure that includes USD 1.24 billion in tourist spending.
The country built on the reputation it forged in 1968 by staging what many saw as one of the best ever football World Cups just two years later. And when Colombia stood down as the hosts of the 1986 tournament, FIFA invited Mexico to step in as a late replacement. The nation will stage the competition for a third time in 2026, as joint hosts with the USA and Canada.
Mexico City’s Olympic facilities have welcomed a diverse range of sporting competitions in recent years. The Sports Palace hosted the 2015 FIBA Americas Championships, while the Olympic Pool staged the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships and the Olympic Gymnasium the World Para Powerlifting Championships that same year. Among other competitions, the city recently added the World Golf Championships and the Mexico City E-Prix to its portfolio of events, which also includes the Mexican Formula 1 Grand Prix and NFL, NBA, and MLB fixtures.