According to figures from the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), Liga MX and the Mexican national team have a combined fan base of around 150 million people, of which 90 million live in Mexico and the rest in the United States. However, this critical mass does not translate into equivalent economic power. In Mexico, sport barely contributes 0.6% of the GDP, and more than half of that percentage is generated by soccer.
Even so, spending per fan in Mexico is much lower than in the United States, the country that won most of the World Cup matches.
While the US market has managed to develop robust commercial ecosystems – from broadcast rights and stadium experiences to merchandising and digital consumption – in Mexico there persists a fan with high emotional commitment but with a limited portfolio and a more fragmented consumption pattern.
A study by Sports Innovation Lab shows that soccer fans in the United States have a much more robust consumption pattern than those in other markets. For example, 72% of fans attend at least one game per season and 71% purchase official products each year, whether jerseys, sportswear, accessories or collectibles.
According to a TUDN study, Mexican fans spend approximately 2,400 pesos a year on soccer, a figure well below that of their peers in the United States. Those who attend the stadium spend around 3,300 pesos per game, while those who do not go spend around 900 pesos a year on soccer consumption.
In contrast, data from the Bank of America Institute show that American households spend more than 19,000 pesos annually on sports, and the most enthusiastic fans can spend up to almost 80,000 pesos a year. The difference illustrates not only the income gap between both countries, but also the distance in fan monetization, a key point to understand why Mexico has one of the largest fans in the world, but a relatively small industry.
These figures help to measure the difference in spending habits between a market with high purchasing power and one like Mexico, where the hobby is equally or more intense, but the monetization capacity and structured consumption remain significantly lower.
Mexicans in the United States, a source of income
For Mikel Arriola, president of Liga Mx, the Mexican soccer phenomenon can only be understood in a North American key, that is, as a commercial and sports block. In a conference held at the Universidad Panamericana, he pointed out that Liga MX and the National Team are not local products, but rather binational, in fact, 157 million fans between Mexico and the United States, an audience that in the United States exceeds the MLS by eight, and a Hispanic market whose annual income “is around 100,000 dollars per capita.”
Hence, Mexico is “the only country in the world that exports soccer as a consumer product,” although a large part of the benefits remain north of the border.
On the other side of the Río Bravo live nearly 60 million Mexican and Hispanic fans, a market with high purchasing power that supports a good part of the current value of the Liga MX and the National Team. Mexico “exports soccer” to the United States, mainly through television, digital platforms and official products linked to teams and the National Team.
However, the 2026 World Cup spill will also reflect that asymmetry: although Mexico will host 13 matches and will receive an economic boost estimated at $3 billion, most of the global spending, international presence and tourism boom will be concentrated in the United States.
Oxford Economics estimates that that country will attract 1.24 million international visitors during the tournament, of which 742,000 will be additional to normal flows, which will increase the growth of international tourism by up to 10% in June 2026.
At the domestic level, the Mexican fan faces an additional phenomenon: according to recent studies, although he is one of the most loyal on the continent, today he experiences a growing sense of disconnection and diffuse identity with several Liga MX clubs. Surveys show that a significant part of fans consider that commercial decisions have displaced sporting priorities, which deteriorates the emotional bond between fans and teams.
Despite this context, Arriola maintains that 2025 has been one of the best sporting years for the National Teams. She points out as an example the bronze obtained by Mexico in the Women’s U-17 World Cup, held in Morocco, where she highlights that 60% of the players were born in the United States but chose to represent Mexico. For the leader, this phenomenon shows that binational training—especially that coming from the United States—is bearing fruit.
Looking ahead to the World Cup, Arriola assures that a “good sporting performance” can not only raise the enthusiasm of the fans, but also double the resources available for the basic forces and the development of talent in Mexican soccer. In his vision, the 2026 tournament will not only be a sporting showcase, but a strategic juncture to balance an equation that Mexico has been dragging on for decades: a gigantic fan base, but a soccer industry that has not yet reached its true size.
