49ers and Mexico, a synergy towards the 2026 World Cup

The 49ers do everything on their part to echo in Mexico beyond November 21. They put in investment, long-term activations with fans, lessons in how a game is produced at Levi’s Stadium, among other things.

When the NFL returns to the Azteca stadium after three years, it will be tied with the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and will be at its peak in television ratings and social media interactions. That is why Al Guido, president of San Francisco for six years, recognizes that the game against the Arizona Cardinals should feel like a Super Bowl in Mexico and, at the same time, function as an exchange of knowledge with a view to the 2026 World Cup. .

“There are still things to fine-tune for the NFL game in Mexico: security, services, operational issues, that the field and locker rooms are ready. The next step is for it to be seen around the world, it’s tied for Worlds, and for us, that means we’ll be doing activations before the game starts, activating the market, we’ll be the home team. On the sporting issue, we need the players to prepare for the altitude, something that is not new for us, since we play in Denver against the Broncos, but we don’t do it every day. Plus, it’s an important regular season and Division game for us (NFC West). Arizona is a strong team that has been recovering many players,” Al Guido told El Economista.

Last August, the president of 49ers told this newspaper that they were sharing ideas with directors of the Azteca Stadium on improvements in terms of technology, physical structure and elements to improve the fan experience in a venue with a sold out venue of 87,000 attendees. Al Guido is also CEO of Elevate Sports Ventures and Recentive Analytics, a software company that empowers teams, leagues, venues and properties with 98% accuracy in predictive solutions that drive revenue.

“Elevate Sports does some work with the Azteca Stadium. There are talks to prepare it to host the 2026 World Cup, but there are also other investments in the venue to give the best experience to the fans and for the best World Cup players on the pitch. We know about those preparations because we are going to have games at Levi’s stadium and we are sharing the best practices between our venues”, he underlined.

The days before the game, the 49ers have a program of events that begins on November 11 and includes a youth camp, football classes at the 49ers Academy, a photo exhibition on Paseo de la Reforma, gatherings with legends of the franchise and activities at the House of the 49ers powered by its corporate partners: Levi’s, SAP, United Airlines and Vivid Seats.

marisol.rojas@eleconomista.mx