Gabriela Cuevas: ‘Today we complain about potholes, but during the 1986 World Cup, half the city was devastated by the earthquake’

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest ever, the first co-hosted by three countries — Mexico, the United States, and Canada — and the debut of the expanded format with 48 teams and 104 matches. The economic and tourism expectations being generated are equally enormous. FIFA estimates an economic impact exceeding $11 billion, while Mexico anticipates the arrival of some 5.5 million visitors, primarily to the host cities of Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Working within this colossal framework is Gabriela Cuevas (Mexico City, 46 years old), appointed a year ago by President Claudia Sheinbaum as Mexico’s representative for the tournament. “I want to organize the best World Cup in history,” she states in an interview with EL PAÍS. She clarifies, however, that her role is not that of an all-powerful director, but rather a mediator between institutions as diverse as FIFA, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), government agencies such as customs, immigration, and airports, as well as the three host cities.

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