Why brands shouldn’t wait until 2026 to invest in the Mexican Men’s National Team

To understand how invested fans are in the Mexican Men’s National Team, consider three key stats from the 2022 World Cup: Soccer aficionados are passionate about their sport and their clubs. But fans of the Mexican National Team take it to the next level, and new research shows how the enthusiasm for the team spills over to its brand partners. “The Mexican National Team is the premier Hispanic property in sports across North America,” said Pablo Zarate, VP of properties for Soccer United Marketing. “Their matches are one of the most-watched, most-attended soccer events among any national team in the world. There is nothing like the interest and passion these fans have for their team.” A home away from home In addition to a legion of supporters within its borders, the Mexican National Team has 60 million followers in the U.S.,⁵ the team’s home away from home. Many of those U.S. fans are Mexican American, but others have roots in Latin American countries that often don’t have representation at the World Cup. In addition, Zarate said, “Our audience is multi-generational. The team is followed largely by first generation Mexican Americans, as well as an avid second- and third-generation group of young bicultural, tech-savvy digital natives.” This reflects the fact that nearly one-fourth of all Americans between the ages of 6 and 34 are Hispanic.⁶ “Our younger fans have a real passion for this team, even some who are second- or third-generation Americans, because support for the Mexican National Team is ingrained in the Hispanic culture and is a fundamental part of who they are,” Zarate said. For example, when it comes to international tournaments like Concacaf Gold Cup and the FIFA World Cup, Zarate noted “There is a duality of fandom that is perhaps unique to this particular cohort: Hispanic American fans proudly support both the U.S. and Mexican National Teams. However when the U.S. and Mexico compete head to head, these same Hispanic American fans will primarily root for the Mexican National Team.” New quantitative research conducted by Endeavor Analytics measures the fan passion around the Mexican National Team. The findings pinpoint the emotions fans have about the Mexican National Team, including intense feelings of pride and a connection to their heritage. Among the team’s core fans, 89% said they take pride in supporting the Mexican National Team, while 43% of core fans said the idea of “heritage” comes to mind when thinking about the team.⁷ “This is a fan base that is all in, fully immersed into the team and their performance,” said Zack Rose, senior VP at Endeavor Analytics. “Many of these fans are born into it. It’s just part of you.” Rose added that Mexican National Team fans consume any and all content they can find about the team, travel just about anywhere to support them—as seen at the last World Cup—and also are loyal to their fandom during the highs and the lows. ‹ › × (Click image to enlarge) Fans’ connection with the Mexican National Team carries over to its brand partners, according to the quantitative research Endeavor Analytics conducted in and around the 2022 World Cup. Following the World Cup, 68% of Mexican National Team fans stated that they are current customers of a partner brand because of the affiliation with the team, up from 58% before the World Cup.⁷ Among the team’s core fans, the numbers are even stronger. Some 93% of core fans said they are loyal to a brand because of its partnership with the Mexican National Team—up from 86% before the World Cup.⁷ “When you take an organization like the Mexican National Team—where fans feel so much pride, passion and love for this team—and pair it with a brand in a smart, tactical, integrated, organic partnership, you see impressive results,” Rose said. For AT&T, that meant creating two Mexican National Team-themed ads that ran on Telemundo’s World Cup telecasts last year. A Mexican National Team “ugly sweater” was featured on air and as promotional giveaways. Said Sabina Ahmed, assistant VP of sponsorships and experiential marketing at AT&T, “It all starts with having a genuine connection and understanding of what soccer represents for the Hispanic community, the importance of the sport and how the love of the game is passed on from generation to generation. As an 18-year partner of the Mexican National Team and now proud partner of the Mexican Women's National Team, we've been able to successfully engage with the fandom first-hand and connect with fans by crafting amazing genuine moments and creating memorable experiences that will stay with them forever.” Lander Otegui, senior VP of marketing at Proximo Spirits, also said that for the company’s Gran Centenario tequila, fan passion for the Mexican National Team is key. “Tequila and fútbol are passion points and traditional staples in Mexican culture, and their synergy is truly unparalleled,” he said. “Becoming the official tequila of the Mexican National Team three years ago was the perfect way for Gran Centenario to ignite the spirit of Mexico across the United States and bring our fans together as they celebrate this passionate team.” An immense targeted audience Hispanics represent 18.7% of the U.S. population, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, and more than 60% of those Americans have roots in Mexico. Hispanics accounted for more than half of U.S. population growth in the 2010s, and are expected to represent one-third of the country’s population by 2060.⁸ With that trajectory of population growth, and the 2026 World Cup—to be played in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada—on the horizon, there is no better time than now for brands to connect with the Mexican National Team. And there are plenty of opportunities on the schedule. The 20th annual MexTour—which brings the Mexican Men’s National Team to stadiums across the U.S.—begins June 10 at San Diego’s new Snapdragon Stadium. MexTour allows the team’s avid U.S. fan base to see their idols in person. Tour matches have averaged 60,000 fans in attendance over the past decade, with millions more tuning in on TV, radio and digital platforms. This year also features the Concacaf Gold Cup, with a month of matches between North and Central American and Caribbean national teams beginning on June 16 at stadiums across the U.S. and Canada. The Gold Cup champion will be crowned on July 16 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. That all leads to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Soccer fever takes hold in World Cup years; in the U.S., soccer fandom was up 30% in 2022,⁹ with more than 26 million Americans tuning into the broadcast of the World Cup final.¹⁰ “I think interest is going to skyrocket in 2026,” Rose said. “With matches both in the U.S. and Mexico, fans are going to be even more passionate and the competition more exciting. The 2026 World Cup will be an incredible platform for the Mexican National Team.” ¹ Adidas Mexico 2023. ² FIFA 2022. ³ Nielsen 2022. ⁴ NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, 2022. ⁵ Equation Research 2020. ⁶ "The State of the Hispanic American Consumer 2022," MRI-Simmons. ⁷ Endeavor Analytics 2023 ©. All Rights Reserved. ⁸ U.S. Census Bureau 2020. ⁹ MRI-Simmons 2022 ©. The data herein derives from a confidential, proprietary syndicated product owned by GfK US MRI, LLC. ¹⁰ FIFA 2022. About Soccer United Marketing Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial arm of Major League Soccer (MLS), is the pre-eminent commercial soccer enterprise in North America, overseeing the commercialization, marketing, promotion and operational execution of the region’s most successful soccer matches and events, including Major League Soccer, the Mexican Men’s and Women’s National Teams for the U.S. market (MexTour and MexTour W), Leagues Cup, and Campeones Cup, as well as spearheading sponsorship sales for top Concacaf competitions including Concacaf Gold Cup, Concacaf Nations League Finals, Concacaf Champions Cup, and Concacaf W. In addition, SUM held the promotional and commercial rights to the highly successful 2016 Copa America Centenario. About Major League Soccer Headquartered in New York, Major League Soccer (MLS)—celebrating its 29th season in 2024—features 30 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, including a new expansion team in San Diego that will debut in 2025. All MLS, Leagues Cup and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches can be watched through MLS Season Pass, available on the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes and game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. MLS Season Pass features the most expansive and accessible lineup of programming ever for MLS fans. For more information about MLS, visit mlssoccer.com. For more information about the Apple TV app, visit apple.com/apple-tv-app.

Why brands shouldn’t wait until 2026 to invest in the Mexican Men’s National Team

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