Beyond the World Cup: A Year of Impact Through Football in Mexico
See how adidas's Social Impact team in Mexico is bringing sport closer to more children and young people, using the biggest footballing event as a springboard and platform for inclusion, learning, and new opportunities.
2026 gave us a unique opportunity: to experience the FIFA World Cup 2026™ at home. At adidas Mexico’s Social Impact team, we wanted that moment to represent more than football, stadiums, and great matches.
We harnessed all the energy brought by the event to bring sport closer to more children and young people, turning the FIFA World Cup 2026™ year into a platform for inclusion, learning, and new opportunities.
The story began in in Cuernavaca February with something as simple as it was powerful: putting a ball into the hands of those who want to play. Through the donation of 30 Trionda footballs, the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos tournament became possible, giving 30 children the opportunity to come together around the game.
Just a few weeks later, that experience moved beyond the community field and onto a completely different stage. Together with Fundación Fútbol Más, 30 children took part as player escorts during the friendly match between Mexico and Brazil, experiencing professional football from a perspective that is rarely within their reach.
As the country began to feel the excitement of the World Cup drawing closer, Mexico City’s Zócalo was transformed into a massive football pitch. The world’s largest football class brought together approximately 9,500 participants and included the donation of 13,000 footballs by adidas, bringing the game to the very heart of the city.
That same purpose continued to take on new forms. In May, 14 young people received uniforms to represent Mexico at the Street Child World Cup, while at Universum, football found a new space through “Science Is on the Pitch,” an exhibition that connected sport, education, and curiosity, with the participation of partners such as UNAM, FIFA, and Televisa.
In June, the impact returned to something fundamental: having a place to play. Together with Fundación Fútbol Más, we renovated a football pitch in Iztapalapa, giving the community back a space for connection, recreation, and development through sport.
This journey reached one of its most special milestones during the FIFA World Cup 2026™. Through FIFA’s Youth Program, 78 children from communities supported by Fundación Fútbol Más participated in matches held in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey, becoming part of an experience they will never forget.
“For Fundación Fútbol+, adidas has been a key partner in bringing sport to communities that need it most. From revitalizing playing spaces to creating once-in-a-lifetime experiences connected to the World Cup, this partnership has enabled us to create moments that inspire, connect, and leave a lasting positive impact on the lives of children and young people.” – Sergio Guerrero, Alliances Director at Fútbol Más.
In this way, the World Cup became more than something happening inside stadiums.
It led to footballs finding new hands, pitches being brought back to life, young people proudly representing Mexico, and children discovering that they too can be part of the greatest moments in sport.
Because when we bring sport closer to more people, we do more than open a playing field. We open possibilities to change lives through sport.
