Corporate Vandals: Companies Indiscriminately Saturate Neighbourhoods Around World Cup Venue with Advertising

ByMara Ximena Pérez and Elba Mónica Bravo

This article by Mara Ximena Pérez and Elba Mónica Bravo originally appeared in the May 28, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

The arrival of the World Cup has led to the “indiscriminate” expansion of outdoor advertising in neighbourhoods surrounding the Azteca stadium, located in the Coyoacán borough, where soft drink companies, beer companies and other brands have saturated the facades of homes and businesses, which would violate the Law of Outdoor Advertising of Mexico City, warned Jorge Carlos Negrete, president of the Fundación por el Rescate y Recuperación del Paisaje Urbano (Foundation for the Rescue and Recovery of the Urban Landscape), in an interview.

The specialist estimated an increase of up to 25 percent in advertising structures and signs placed this year in the context of the World Cup, compared to previous periods. During a tour of the streets of the Santa Úrsula Coapa neighborhood, next to the stadium, it was observed that the facades have become a kind of chromatic competition between brands: red with black and blue with yellow, covered with logos and phrases alluding to soccer.

Although the law prohibits covering more than two-thirds of a wall and establishes a distance of 150 meters between each advertisement, on Las Flores Street some ads cover almost the entire surface of homes and businesses. The saturation is also evident along the Estadio Azteca circuit, where walls are plastered with advertising.

Disgruntled residents pointed out that the area has lost its sense of community and now resembles an “advertising corridor.” María del Carmen Saucillo maintained that “the houses look awful” and that the marketing strategy encourages alcohol consumption. She noted that “food isn’t even sold anymore,” as most fans tend to consume drinks like micheladas.

Guadalupe and Estela, also neighbors, expressed their rejection of the placement of football images: “They pretend that the town is football-loving or has a passion for football, which many people dislike because it is for the purpose of this commercial event.”

Jack Sourasky (right), pollution apologist and profiteer, with Giovani Gutiérrez, Mayor of Coyoacán.

On the other hand, the president of the National Chamber of the Restaurant and Seasoned Food Industry (Canirac) in the capital, Jack Sourasky, commented that he hopes that families and friends will experience the World Cup atmosphere in the establishments and that the presence of diners will increase by 30 percent.

In an interview, he mentioned that the arrival of around 1.8 million national and international tourists to Mexico City is expected between June and July.

Meanwhile, the Employers’ Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) in Mexico City estimated an economic impact of 26.985 billion pesos due to the World Cup, in addition to the generation of around 100,000 temporary jobs in sectors such as lodging, commerce, transportation, entertainment and festivals.