World Cup opens dialogue platforms: Trophy Tour

Less than 150 days separate Mexico from the organization of the FIFA World Cup 2026along with the United States and Canada. Mexico alone already has the experience of having hosted the 1970 and 1986 editions.

For this reason, the atmosphere is already full of festivities and one of the most recognized is the Trophy Tour, managed jointly by FIFA and one of its longest-standing sponsors, Coca-Cola (official sponsor of the World Cup since 1978).

The Trophy Tour consists of presenting the official trophy of the World Cup to fans from various cities, not just the tournament venues, allowing contactless photographs, since this can only be done by champion players, heads of state and presidents of FIFA itself.

The 2026 World Cup marks its sixth edition. He TrophyTour It emerged prior to the 2006 German championship and, since then, more than 4 million fans in 182 markets have participated, according to official data.

In the case of Mexico, the Trophy Tour 2026 is scheduled from February 28 to June 8 in 10 stops: Guadalajara, León, Veracruz, Chihuahua, Querétaro, Monterrey, Puebla, Chichén Itzá, Mérida and Mexico City.

Organizers anticipate that it will bring together more than 200,000 fans to take photos and others in parallel activations.

However, one of the main legacies that the Coca-Cola brand seeks through this activity and its entire presence during a new World Cup in Mexico is to open dialogues regarding issues that today go beyond social criticism.

“I would say that the most important (legacy) for us is that (the 2026 World Cup) is a moment of unity and it is a moment in which we can also talk about issues that are relevant to the population,” he points out in an interview with The EconomistPatricio Caso, senior director of Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability of Coca-Cola Mexico.

Unavoidable questions

Coca-Cola has had a presence in the World Cups since 1950. At that time it was only advertising in stadiums, but from 1978 it became an official sponsor and the last update of its agreement is until 2030, according to the official website of Coca-Cola. FIFA.

It appears in the highest hierarchy of its sponsors, in the rank of partner, along with Adidas, Hyundai-Kia, Aramco, Lenovo, Qatar Airways and Visa.

But in parallel, it is a criticized brand, especially on issues of public health and water consumption, as corroborated by various international reports and reports.

One of the highest points occurred in 2021, when footballer Cristiano Ronaldo replaced a Coca-Cola bottle with a water bottle at a conference during the Euro Cup. According to ESPNthat impacted with a drop of 4,000 million dollars in the value of its shares in the market.

Patricio Caso is aware of these situations and describes the 2026 World Cup as an opportunity to address criticism.

“We have a very broad portfolio of products and in that portfolio is, of course, the iconic Coca-Cola brand, our sugar-free alternatives, plain waters, hydrating drinks, juices, milks, etc. What we do is that we work closely with all development areas to be able to put these options on the market and make them always available to consumers.

“But I think the most relevant point is that the World Cup is a moment of unity and probably a moment in which we can have dialogues that are later complex. For us, the World Cup is that, a moment to have dialogues and understand the population very well.”

—What is the social impact strategy with this World Cup in Mexico, where there are many problems regarding weight and diabetes?

—”The World Cups have the great virtue of uniting passions and it is a mechanism through which you can talk about many things. So, the World Cup, first of all, is a meeting point. Second, we are accompanying it with an agenda that has two or three relevant components,” the manager responds to this newspaper.

Strategies and legacy

These components, he explains, are divided into two topics: waste management and water access in schools in the three host cities (Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey).

“First, we are ensuring that all World Cup or peripheral events that occur are zero waste. We are working hand in hand with ECOCE (civil association), with our bottlers, so that there is no unused waste from everything that happens at the World Cup.

“Second, we are working on water. The Coca-Cola Foundation has already announced more than 900 schools with water in the country but specifically as part of the legacy of the World Cup there will be 50 in each of the three venues (…) They are being installed specifically for that, as a kind of memory of what happened. In the end, the World Cup will have a defined time and passing these are the things that remain.”

The 2026 World Cup will be from June 11 to July 19, but in Mexico the last match will be on July 5 in the round of 16 (in Mexico City).

However, the Coca-Cola manager emphasizes that the legacy his brand intends goes beyond that period, even before.

“It is a moment in which we can also talk about relevant issues for the population, that is why we are making investments in water as part of that legacy, but I do believe that the great point of the World Cup, with what we do as a system every day, is that the effort is the same: to reach the last table and for us all to experience it.”

Regarding the Trophy Tour, he reveals that it will be coordinated with the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) at the federal level and the respective localities of the tour, headed “by the FIFA security team, which comes from Zurich (Switzerland).”

Globally, the Trophy Tour will be held for more than 150 days and a total of 75 stops. The trophy will land in Mexico (AIFA) on February 26.