Not all the excitement at the World Cup will be on the pitch, and Mexico is ready
As the country prepares to welcome millions of fans, authorities are set to launch one of the largest sexual health campaigns in its history.
Just days before Mexico once again becomes a World Cup host nation, authorities are working on a strategy that extends far beyond the stadiums, fan zones and soccer celebrations. The country plans to distribute between six and seven million condoms during the 2026 World Cup as part of a campaign aimed at preventing sexually transmitted infections.
Sexual health at the World Cup
The initiative will focus on the tournament’s three host cities, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, where millions of domestic and international visitors are expected to arrive during the competition. The tournament will also be played here in the United States and Canada.
According to health officials, condom distribution will be accompanied by educational materials designed to reduce the risks associated with HIV, syphilis and gonorrhea, illnesses that are typically a major focus of public health campaigns during large-scale events.
While Mexico plans to distribute up to seven million condoms and Toronto has launched a World Cup-themed safe-sex campaign, no comparable initiative has yet been announced by U.S. host cities.
Mexico to hand out 7 million condoms during the World Cup
“We are considering the distribution of between six and seven million condoms during the 2026 World Cup,” health authorities said while outlining the scope of the strategy, which will also include a presence at locations expected to attract large numbers of visitors.
“What we have started doing is setting up designated areas at airports and arrival points for people visiting us for the World Cup, where they can obtain condoms along with informational brochures on prevention, because a condom without information is like putting a piece of candy in your pocket,” Roxana Trejo, a member of the World Cup Health Operations Command led by Mexico’s Health Ministry, told El Sol de México.
The campaign will not be limited to areas surrounding World Cup venues. Airports, tourist districts, bars, restaurants and fan gathering spaces are among the locations where information booths and free condom distribution points could be established.
The objective is clear: to use the visibility of one of the world’s biggest sporting events to reinforce messages about prevention and personal responsibility. Mexico’s Health Ministry has repeatedly emphasized that condoms remain one of the most effective tools for preventing sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies.
As Mexican host cities finalize transportation, security and infrastructure plans for the World Cup, public health officials are preparing for a challenge of their own. And this time, condoms will once again be part of the roster.
Do the players get condoms at the World Cup?
The World Cup does not have the same condom-distribution tradition associated with the Olympic Games. One of the reasons is logistical: unlike Olympians, who live together in a centralized athletes’ village, World Cup players are based in separate hotels and training camps throughout the host countries.
Condom distribution has become a fixture of the Olympics over the past four decades. Organizers at the Paris 2024 Games made around 300,000 condoms available to athletes, continuing a practice that dates back to the 1988 Seoul Olympics and is intended to promote safe-sex awareness among competitors.
With no equivalent athletes’ village at the World Cup, FIFA does not operate a comparable program. Instead, public-health initiatives are typically directed at the millions of fans traveling to the tournament, with host countries and local authorities leading awareness campaigns and free distribution efforts.
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