Cancun Fan Fest Mundial: 5 Venues to Screen World Cup Matches in Mexican Caribbean

Cancun, Quintana Roo — The Mexican Caribbean will host free public screenings of World Cup matches at five venues across the state, officials announced.

Pablo Casas, deputy secretary of promotion for the Quintana Roo Tourism Secretariat (Sedetur), said the state will invest 4 million pesos (about $200,000) in broadcast rights and 800,000 pesos per venue for high-definition signal and connectivity.

The main venue will be the Malecon Tajamar in Cancun, which will be transformed into a fan zone with capacity for up to 10,000 people during key matches. Four additional sites will be set up in the Magical Towns of Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Tulum and Bacalar, each expected to draw 1,000 to 1,500 fans per game.

Each venue will feature giant screens, regional food corridors and musical festivals before matches. Casas said Sedetur secured significant commercial discounts from the company holding broadcast rights in Mexico, aligning with the federal government’s “Social World Cup” initiative.

The screenings will include all matches of the Mexican national team, as well as the knockout stages — round of 16, quarterfinals, and the final. Some group-stage games with lower expected attendance will be omitted to optimize logistics.

Security will be provided under the Plan Kukulcan scheme, a high-tech military deployment originally designed for official FIFA host cities. Although Quintana Roo is not hosting any stadium matches, it has been designated an official base camp. The Uruguayan national team will arrive on June 7 to train at the Fairmont Mayakoba resort complex.

Rodrigo de la Peña, president of the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, reported that hotel bookings have already increased 5% compared to last year, driven mainly by Latin American travelers. However, he cautioned that the true economic impact depends on airfare prices, which have risen globally. The industry is working with Cancun International Airport to streamline immigration, customs and ground transportation during the tournament.