Before reaching the spotlight of the FIFA World Cup, Guadalajara has another sporting challenge to meet in 2026: safeguarding the prestige of the Caribbean Series.
It is one of the longest-running international baseball events (born in 1949) and, in 40 days, it changed its headquarters from Venezuela to Guadalajara, due to the recent sociopolitical complications of said South American country.
The Panamericano stadium, home of the Charros de Jalisco, will host the 68th edition of the Caribbean Series from February 1 to 7 against the clock.
Receiving the organization less than two months in advance is a major challenge not only for the Guadalajara team, but for the Mexican Pacific League (LMP), which is responsible for Mexico before the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC) for this event.
The political obstacle, the withdrawal of Venezuela from the tournament and the participation of only five teams, of which two are from Mexico (champion and runner-up of the 2025-26 LMP season), put in check the attractiveness of the 2026 Caribbean Series and, therefore, the Mexican organizers.
Consensus decision
Salvador Escobar, president of the LMP, tells The Economist how it was decided to move the tournament to Guadalajara in two stages.
“First, at the CBPC we have a mechanism that helps guarantee that things happen. It was not a surprise, but there are key dates that are marked to see that the venue is progressing correctly. It is very important to point this out because it seems too arbitrary how everything happened and not. It is taken under a situation, whatever it may be, that puts the execution of the event at risk, from economic, natural disaster or any other.”
The four members of the CBPC, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Venezuelathey had an assembly in which they confirmed the departure of the tournament from Venezuelan territory and the arrival to Mexico, although Salvador Escobar highlights that the other two countries also raised their hands.
“We had an understanding between the four members and since the other three were vacant we have the right to have the Caribbean Series. All three of us wanted to, but the first thing was to put on the table the conditions in which the headquarters were being left, the time and where each of us were standing even in the economic situation. Taking an event with such little time implies an enormous risk. We were venting our proposals and we were left.”
In the same week, a second assembly came, now among the LMP team owners. Hermosillo, which will host the tournament in 2027, and Mexicali, which did so in 2025, were ruled out. Others raised their hands, but finally and also by consensus, Escobar clarifies, they chose the capital of Jalisco.
“Guadalajara is a city that has practically everything and more with a view to the Soccer World Cup, in terms of airport, hotels, access roads and a stadium that is strategically well located. All these conditions convinced the rest of the presidents to give that confidence to Guadalajara and Charros.”
Economic expectation
Guadalajara experienced a similar situation in 2018, replacing Barquisimeto, Venezuela, as the headquarters of the Caribbean Series.
“Also due to the situation and environment at that time, it was decided to change the venue and it was awarded to Guadalajara. However, on that occasion we had approximately six months to organize the event, which later received positive comments for the quality in the sporting, logistical and other aspects,” describes Asdrúbal Gómez, communication director of Charros de Jalisco.
According to the Guadalajara Convention and Visitors Bureau, that edition left more than 900 million pesos in economic benefits, also with five participants.
For 2026, there is still no expectation of profit due to the rush, since tickets are still being sold for subscriptions and they have just started with individual ones.
Salvador Escobar emphasizes that they hope to move around 10,000 jerseys alluding to the Caribbean Series, in addition to being negotiating with eight hotels and more than 20 trucks to move all the participants.
“In a normal scenario, we would wait much longer, because we also do not have the capacity to react to cover what the market is demanding of us. That is why I want to be cautious in the numbers, because we have an expectation to know the behavior of the subscriptions in these first days and to see how we progress in individual ticketing.”
He emphasizes that the infrastructure that Guadalajara already has towards the Soccer World Cup will be decisive in the economic impact.
“I can say that the Jalisco Visitors Bureau is happy because, by not having an event like this in its annual program, it comes to inject an economic boost in the first or second month of the year, taking advantage of part of the infrastructure that they were already preparing for the World Cup and for other sporting activities.”
On the other hand, the director of Charros de Jalisco shares that they will invest 5 million pesos for renovations in the stadium for the Caribbean Series, mainly in the locker room area, grandstand and the official products store.
_What is the responsibility of maintaining the prestige of the Caribbean Series in the face of all this?
“I think that it is up to us to maintain prestige under the mechanisms that we have in the CBPC so that the events happen. Never put at risk that a Caribbean Series cannot be carried out and that the event is of the sporting quality that we are all waiting for. I consider that it is one of the three most important baseball events in the world, it represents the best that Latin American baseball has and I believe that as long as we maintain that space so that the event is that forum for our players, the prestige is not at risk,” responds the president of the LMP.
