The furor for the 2026 World Cup has overflowed the stadiums. In Mexico City, the sidewalks are filled with vendors selling unofficial t-shirts, trophies and mascots. The phenomenon, although not new, has intensified. Specialists attribute this to impunity, corruption in customs and the high prices of original products.
“We have more and more problems related to piracy,” said Francisco Rivas, general director of the National Citizen Observatory. According to Rivas, the progress is also due to the fact that organized crime forces formal merchants through extortion.
Alarming figures
Mexico is the seventh largest buyer of unauthorized copies worldwide, according to a report by the OECD and the EUIPO. An official Mexican national team jersey costs more than 2,000 pesos ($117), equivalent to a week’s minimum wage. In the informal market, the price is around 250 pesos (14 dollars).
“People leave because of the economy,” said Lizeth Herrera, a 26-year-old physical education teacher, while looking for T-shirts at a stall in the historic center.
Insufficient official actions
Claudia Sheinbaum’s government has made million-dollar seizures and approved a regulation to accelerate patents. But Rivas considers that these measures are not enough due to the complexity of the phenomenon and corruption. In the La Lagunilla market, in Tepito, the police circulate without intervening due to the massive sale of unofficial items.
Mariana Villalobos, an online seller, commented: “This World Cup has gone very well for me.” His sales of pirate t-shirts multiplied after Mexico’s triumphs. Faced with criticism, he responded: “There are tastes of everything and there is economy for everyone.”
The cultural challenge
The informal sector represents more than half of the economically active population in Mexico. Companies like the B2B corporation have had to strengthen their digital communication to compete. Gabriela Valdés, deputy general director, pointed out that the problem must be addressed as a cultural issue: “It is sad to know that behind a design and sewing effort it is not given the deserved value.”
