Home About MLI Coverage & Visibility Firm Rankings Research & Methodology e-Zine

Guide to the Global Leaders in Media Law Practice

REGIONS WE COVER

Middle East and North Africa

North America

Asia-Pacific

Western Europe

Central and Eastern Europe

For media companies, broadcasters, streaming platforms, technology providers, and rights holders, understanding Mexico's evolving media law landscape is essential to capturing the opportunities this tournament presents. This article examines the key legal dimensions of media rights, intellectual property protection, data privacy in broadcasting, and emerging digital content strategies as they apply to the World Cup context.

The Broadcasting Rights Framework

Regulatory Foundation

Broadcasting in Mexico is primarily governed by the Federal Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law (Ley Federal en materia de Telecomunicaciones y Radiodifusión, or LFTR). This statute regulates how broadcasters operate commercially, though the actual exploitation of sports content rights is driven primarily by private contractual media rights agreements rather than prescriptive regulatory mandates.

Revenue in the broadcast ecosystem is generated through advertising sold around live matches, sponsorship integrations, subscription fees, and pay-per-view arrangements for premium events. Free-to-air television continues to reach mass audiences, while digital platforms have become essential buyers of premium sports rights, which represents a shift now accelerating with the World Cup.

Rights Packaging and Exclusivity

For large-scale competitions such as the World Cup, rights are sold through structured processes that span multiple cycles, often divided into separate lots that may be awarded on an exclusive basis or distributed across multiple platforms.

Premium live rights are typically exclusive, while highlight packages are often offered on non-exclusive terms to maximise reach. Broadcasters access venues through accreditation and permissions granted by event organisers, with the terms embedded within media rights agreements and production guidelines.

Protecting the Broadcast Feed

The broadcast signal itself is protected as an audiovisual work under the Federal Copyright Law (Ley Federal del Derecho de Autor, or LFDA). Ownership and exploitation rights are determined by contract, while event organisers retain trademarks and event-related intellectual property. This distinction between the broadcast as a copyrighted work and the event as a proprietary commercial asset, is fundamental to understanding how rights are allocated and enforced in practice.

The Digital Revolution: Fragmentation and New Media Monetisation

Streaming Equals Broadcasting

The 2026 World Cup is set to be the first major tournament where digital streaming potentially equals or exceeds traditional broadcasting in commercial value. Mexico's young, digitally native population and high mobile penetration rates make it a critical market for new media experimentation.

Mexican broadcasters, led by Televisa and TV Azteca, are developing innovative multi-platform distribution models that fragment traditional exclusive broadcast rights into platform-specific packages. These models distinguish between:

Linear television rights,
Authenticated streaming rights,
Social media clips and short-form content,
Behind-the-scenes and documentary content,
Interactive and second-screen features.

Each category carries separate valuation and requires tailored licensing terms.

Legal Complexity as Commercial Opportunity

From a legal perspective, this fragmentation demands sophisticated rights definition and licensing architecture. International rights holders and technology platforms negotiating for Mexican market access must navigate complex arrangements that distinguish among territorial scope, platform limitations, content type, and sublicensing permissions.

This complexity, however, creates opportunity. Granular rights packages enable targeted investment, allow specialised platforms to access premium content previously bundled exclusively with major broadcasters, and generate multiple simultaneous monetisation channels. International streaming services, social media platforms, and digital publishers can now negotiate targeted rights agreements rather than seeking comprehensive bundles, a commercially significant shift.

It is noted that FIFA's has its own overarching commercial structure, which sits above and around national regulatory regimes. FIFA centrally manages the production and distribution of the official World Cup broadcast signal through Host Broadcasting Services (HBS), a dedicated entity responsible for delivering the clean international feed to all rights-holding broadcasters worldwide. Rights holders in Mexico and globally do not produce the primary match coverage themselves; rather, they receive the HBS feed and build their own editorial layer (commentary, studio programming, and supplementary content) around it.

The terms on which this feed is accessed, what may be done with it, and what content restrictions apply are governed not by Mexican law but by FIFA's Media Regulations, which form part of the contractual framework binding on all accredited broadcasters and media organisations.

FIFA's Media Regulations impose detailed obligations on both rights holders and non-rights holders. Rights-holding broadcasters are bound by content restrictions specifying the maximum duration of clips permissible for news and highlights purposes, social media posting rules governing what may be published during and immediately after matches, and technical delivery standards for the licensed signal.

Non-rights-holding media organisations face separate restrictions: they may not broadcast live footage, produce match-day editorial content from inside controlled venue perimeters, or use World Cup imagery in a manner that creates an association with official coverage. These rules operate independently of, and in addition to, the protections available under the LFDA and LFMTR, and their breach may result in accreditation withdrawal, contractual liability, and reputational consequences far beyond any domestic regulatory sanction.

Intellectual Property: Protecting Content and Brands

Trademark Protection for Event Assets

The Federal Law for the Protection of Industrial Property (Ley Federal de Protección a la Propiedad Industrial, or LFPPI) and the LFDA together form the IP backbone for World Cup commercial operations in Mexico. Event organisers secure exclusivity through trademark registrations of event names, logos, and mascots before the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial, or IMPI).

In preparation for the 2026 World Cup, Mexico implemented fast-track trademark registration procedures for World Cup-related marks, enhanced enforcement mechanisms against counterfeit merchandise, and clarified the tax treatment of short-term commercial operations. Trademark infringement actions may only be brought by holders or authorised licensees under registrations granted by IMPI. Thus, proactive registration is essential for any brand seeking enforcement.

Ambush Marketing and IP Enforcement

The three host nations have developed coordinated approaches to protect against ambush marketing, intellectual property enforcement, and temporary commercial zone regulations. Ambush marketing is defined as any strategy by which a brand associates itself with a high-profile sporting event without holding official sponsorship rights and without assuming the corresponding costs.

The tactics deployed are varied and increasingly sophisticated: distributing event-themed merchandise near official venues, organising parallel events in which matches are broadcast without authorisation, and producing products bearing direct references to the tournament to create a false perception of official association.

Mexican authorities maintain enhanced enforcement mechanisms to combat unauthorised commercial associations with the tournament, an increasingly complex challenge in the digital environment, where ambush marketing campaigns can be deployed rapidly across social media.

Unauthorised commercial use of a person's image, including that of athletes, constitutes an administrative infringement under the LFDA, with fines of up to USD $32,000 and potential damages claims of at least 40% of the infringing products' gross sales. The LFPPI further prohibits the registration of any person's name, image, or likeness as a trademark without consent, and prohibits acts that create false associations or mislead consumers into believing a product is endorsed by a particular individual.

Image Rights and Athlete Endorsements

The commercial exploitation of athlete images for World Cup-related campaigns, endorsements, video games, and promotional activities requires careful navigation of Mexican image rights laws.

Under the LFDA, using or publishing a person's portrait requires express consent, while the LFPPI prohibits the registration of recognisable names and likenesses without authorisation. Athletes typically grant consent through licensing agreements specifying permitted uses, territorial scope, and duration. Unauthorised exploitation may give rise to administrative sanctions and civil liability, a risk that intensifies given the global media reach of a World Cup campaign.

AI in Broadcasting: Legal Implications

Technology Deployment at Scale

AI adoption has accelerated dramatically ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Major broadcasters, including Televisa via its dedicated e-sports and digital channel BitMe, are deploying AI to generate real-time match graphics and personalised highlight reels. Additionally, AI-powered translation services enable real-time multilingual fan engagement, which is particularly valuable given Mexico's role as a bridge between English- and Spanish-speaking markets.

Personalized content delivery systems analyze viewing preferences to generate customised highlight packages and dynamic statistics, while dynamic pricing algorithms optimise hospitality and merchandise sales.

Data Privacy Obligations in the Broadcast Ecosystem

Mexico has no general AI legislation. However, the use of AI systems entails specific obligations under the Federal Data Protection Law (Ley Federal de Protección de Datos Personales en Posesión de los Particulares, or LFPDPPP). Where AI systems collect or process personal data, including behavioural data from viewers, biometric data from venue management systems (for example, faces from the fans), which would be considered sensitive personal data, or performance data from athletes, strict compliance is required.

Data controllers must provide privacy notices, obtain informed consent (including express written consent for sensitive data), implement technical and administrative security measures, and comply with data subjects' rights. The legal implications of AI in sports and media are rapidly evolving, raising complex considerations regarding data privacy, player consent, editorial liability, and fairness in competition.

Fan Engagement Through Digital Collectibles: NFTs and the 2026 World Cup in Mexico

The Mexican NFT Landscape

Mexico's NFT market has developed along a distinctly fan-centric trajectory. Unlike markets driven primarily by speculative trading, the Mexican ecosystem has gravitated towards digital collectibles designed to deepen supporter engagement, a trend that the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, is set to accelerate significantly.

Ahead of the tournament, platforms dedicated to sports NFTs have gained considerable traction. FIFA Collect, the official platform developed in partnership with Modex, allows fans to purchase, trade, and collect officially licensed digital match moments and player cards tied to World Cup history.

Sorare, the fantasy football platform with an NFT-based card system, has expanded its presence in Latin America, offering Mexican fans the ability to build squads using digital player cards that carry real-world utility in fantasy competitions. Chiliz and its fan token ecosystem, accessed through the Socios.com platform, has partnered with Mexican clubs to offer token-gated voting rights, exclusive content, and matchday rewards. At the club level, Mexican teams including Pumas, Necaxa, and Atlante have launched their own NFT campaigns delivering tangible experiential rewards such as meet-and-greets with players, signed merchandise, and VIP matchday access.

The Sports Metaverse Dimension

Beyond static collectibles, the 2026 World Cup context is accelerating interest in what practitioners increasingly refer to as the sports metaverse, virtual environments in which fans interact with digital representations of stadiums, athletes, and live events in real time.

Platforms such as Decentraland and The Sandbox have already hosted branded sporting activations, including virtual stadium experiences and branded wearables for avatars.

In the football context, projects such as Football Verse and BeFootball have explored persistent virtual worlds in which NFT-based player assets can be used across gameplay, collectible trading, and social experiences. For the World Cup specifically, there is growing commercial interest in creating virtual stadium twins, digital environments that replicate the experience of famous stadiums, allowing global fans who cannot attend in person to participate in watch parties, interactive activations, and branded experiences within a metaverse environment.

From a legal standpoint, sports metaverse projects layer additional complexity onto the NFT regulatory picture. Virtual land and in-world assets raise questions about property rights in digital environments, while avatar-based use of athlete likenesses in interactive settings goes beyond simple image reproduction and may engage broader personality rights and publicity rights frameworks. Brand integrations within metaverse environments may also attract advertising and sponsorship regulations depending on their structure and target audience.

Regulatory Framework and Financial Considerations

NFTs have no dedicated regulatory framework under Mexican law and are generally lawful to issue and transfer. Two key risks merit attention.

First, if an NFT is structured to confer investment-type returns such as a fractional interest in a club or a share of broadcast revenues, it may qualify as a security under the Securities Market Law and fall under Mexican Financial Authorities oversight. Transactions involving NFTs that qualify as securities are prohibited unless conducted through authorised channels, making pre-launch legal structuring essential.

Second, platforms that hold or transfer digital assets on behalf of users may trigger regulated custody or deposit-taking obligations, requiring authorization from Mexican Financial Authorities.

Intellectual Property Considerations

World Cup NFT campaigns must secure licensing from the relevant rights holders, which may include FIFA, CONCACAF, national federations, broadcasters, and individual players, before incorporating broadcast footage, event imagery, or athlete likenesses.

A further layer of complexity arises from FIFA's own global commercial architecture. FIFA operates a tiered sponsorship structure comprising FIFA Partners (the highest category, with global exclusivity across all FIFA competitions), FIFA World Cup Sponsors (with exclusivity scoped to the tournament itself), and Regional Supporters (with rights limited to defined geographic markets).

Each tier carries contractual exclusivity rights that are enforceable against competing brands not only under national law but under FIFA's internal regulations and the Host City Agreements entered into by Mexico as part of its hosting obligations (discussed further below). A brand operating in the Mexican market that is not party to one of these tiers must exercise particular care to ensure that its communications, activations, and partnerships do not infringe on the exclusivity granted to official sponsors, even where those communications are otherwise lawful under Mexican consumer or advertising law.

Beyond domestic IP enforcement, FIFA designates controlled commercial perimeters (commonly referred to as exclusion zones or clean zones) around each host venue. In Mexico, the enforcement of "Commercial Exclusion Zones" around stadiums involves not just federal IP law, but local municipal regulations and specialized "fast-track" injunctions.

Within these perimeters, any commercial activity, advertising display, or brand activation by non-official partners is prohibited, irrespective of whether the activity would otherwise be lawful under Mexican law. The scope and enforcement of these zones are agreed between FIFA and the relevant host city authorities through the Host City Agreement framework, and their practical policing involves coordination between FIFA's own commercial protection teams, IMPI, and local municipal authorities.

For brands and agencies planning experiential activations near stadiums, early mapping of the relevant exclusion zone boundaries is an essential step in pre-event legal due diligence.

Mexico's three host cities (Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara) each entered into Host City Agreements with FIFA as a condition of their selection. These agreements are binding legal instruments that impose specific obligations on city governments, local authorities, and national regulators to ensure compliance with FIFA's commercial protection regime. In practice, this means that local authorities are contractually committed to enforcing the exclusion zones described above, facilitating fast-track IP enforcement actions, and restricting competing commercial activity in designated areas during the tournament period.

The Host City Agreements therefore, function as a private regulatory layer that supplements (and, in some respects, displaces) ordinary Mexican administrative and commercial law during the event. For international media stakeholders, understanding that their Mexican counterparts are operating within this dual framework (national law on one hand, and FIFA's contractual regime on the other) is fundamental to structuring compliant and commercially effective arrangements.

Under the LFDA, unauthorized commercialization of audiovisual or photographic content in NFT form constitutes infringement. In metaverse contexts, standard licensing terms may not cover the interactive and generative uses that virtual environments produce, making it critical that rights clearances explicitly extend to digital and virtual applications.

It is also worth noting the role of CONCACAF, the regional football confederation with jurisdiction over Mexico, within this rights landscape. Whilst FIFA holds supreme authority over the World Cup as an event, CONCACAF exercises its own commercial and IP rights over confederation competitions and may hold separate licensing rights over content, imagery, and marks that intersect with the World Cup cycle.

Any rights clearance exercise for World Cup-adjacent content (particularly content referencing CONCACAF qualification campaigns or using footage from confederation competitions) should account for CONCACAF's licensing framework alongside that of FIFA and the relevant national federations.

Practical Considerations for International Media Stakeholders

International broadcasters, streaming platforms, and brands engaging with the Mexican market should prioritize the following legal frameworks:

Rights Negotiation & Licensing: Early engagement with rights holders is essential to navigate increasingly fragmented media packages. Licensing agreements must strictly define territorial scope, exclusivity, and platform-specific delivery obligations, particularly for digital and OTT (Over-the-Top) bundles.

Intellectual Property Protection: Trademarks and commercial slogans must be registered with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial or IMPI) well in advance of operations. IMPI has already granted hundreds of trademark registrations to FIFA and several additional registrations to the Federal Government (such as “Mexico 2026” and “Mexico 2026, one country, one passion”). These registrations effectively block the unauthorized commercial use of phrases like “FIFA,” “FIFA World Cup 2026,” as well as official logos, mascots, and the trophy image.

Image Rights: Under the LFDA, athlete and personality rights require express written consent for any commercial use of name, image, or likeness. Due diligence is mandatory to avoid conflicts with FIFA’s own global sponsorship exclusivity tiers.

Data Protection: Any fan engagement, ticketing, or digital platform collecting data from Mexican users must comply with the LFPDPPP. This includes mandatory privacy notices and strict protocols for international data transfers.

Anti-Ambush Marketing: Robust strategies are required to navigate Mexico’s industrial property protections. Brands should coordinate with local counsel to monitor unauthorized associations with the tournament, as enforcement often involves collaboration between IMPI, FIFA, and local municipal authorities regarding physical advertising zones.

Digital Assets & NFTs: Programs involving digital collectibles must be structured to ensure all underlying IP is licensed. Furthermore, they must be vetted against Mexican financial regulations to ensure they are not inadvertently classified as securities requiring specific regulatory authorizations.

Conclusion

The 2026 FIFA World Cup represents the most commercially complex media event in Mexico’s history. Success for international stakeholders will not be determined solely by their grasp of Mexican federal law, but by their ability to navigate the "dual-track" regulatory environment: the intersection of national statutes and the private, high-speed contractual regime imposed by FIFA’s Host City Agreements.

As digital streaming, AI-driven broadcasting, and virtual assets converge, the window for legal error has narrowed significantly. In this high-stakes environment, "standard" legal compliance is insufficient. Rights holders and brands require a strategic presence on the ground capable of executing rapid-response IP enforcement and managing real-time regulatory shifts.

Navigating this landscape requires more than a theoretical understanding of the law—it requires an operational strategy that accounts all elements and protections. As the tournament approaches, the priority for media companies must shift from planning to protection. Ensuring that every digital asset, broadcast feed, and brand activation is vetted against this multifaceted legal framework is the only way to secure a lasting commercial legacy in the North American market.For those prepared to engage with this level of precision, Mexico offers not just a passionate audience, but a sophisticated laboratory for the future of global sports media.

Joint Authors

Grecia Macias

Diego Leal

Ana Paula Boy

Mauricio Fernández

Media Legal Challenges During a World Cup

Written by Xavier Careaga and Team

Galicia

Xavier Careaga

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is not only a historic sporting event, but it is also a historic moment for media law in Mexico and across North America and even the world. For the first time, three nations co-host the tournament, with Mexico welcoming matches at the Mexico City Stadium (traditionally Estadio Azteca), the Monterrey Stadium (Estadio BBVA), and the Guadalajara Stadium (Estadio Akron). The commercial and technological stakes have never been higher, and the legal frameworks governing how content is created, distributed, protected, and monetised are being tested and reshaped in real time.

Xavier Careaga is a seasoned lawyer in Internet matters, having dedicated his entire professional career to technology law and to helping technology companies create, develop and implement their products and features within safe margins of the law. He designed extensive multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary strategic defenses to protect the companies’ business model, reinforcing the social benefits of technologies involved while mitigating any unintended negative externalities.

Grecia Macias joined Galicia in 2026 and is an associate in the area of Technology, Media and Telecommunications. His practice focuses on the intersection of law and technology, with more than five years of experience in privacy and personal data protection, internet governance, artificial intelligence regulation and intellectual property as well as digital intermediary liability.

Diego Leal is an associate in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications practice, focusing on financial law with extensive experience in the Fintech sector. He is recognized for his work in structuring and negotiating corporate and financial transactions, including advising on the authorization process for financial technology institutions before the National Banking and Securities Commission, as well as their operational and regulatory compliance as financial entities.

Ana Paula Boy oined Galicia in 2025 as an associate in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice. Her areas of expertise are personal data protection, consumer protection, artificial intelligence and intellectual property. Ana Paula has worked with national and international clients in the technology, social media and entertainment sectors.

Mauricio Fernández joined Galicia in 2021 as a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions area. During his early years, his practice focused on legal due diligence processes and drafting contracts for various corporate transactions.

Biographies