Mexico's Sedena Conceals Campo Marte Deal for World Cup 2026

The Mexican Defense Ministry (Sedena) denied, in seven requests for information, that it had a contract allowing private firm The Mates Contents SA de CV to commercially exploit Campo Marte during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The agreement, signed on 19 February 2026, authorised the use of the military venue for a private Fan Fest and related events without any monetary compensation to Sedena.

The contract was later made public by the federal Secretariat of Tourism. It bears the signature of Brigadier General José Manuel Ramírez Martínez, director general of Engineers and the military’s real‑estate officer. Under the deal, the company could operate the site from 25 May to 28 July 2026, hosting concerts, a food corridor and other activities, charging tickets up to 1,800 pesos.

Sedena’s repeated responses claimed “No se localizó expresión documental…” and cited request numbers 8326, 1426, 5326, 8626, 4926, 4626 and 5026, indicating a lack of documentary evidence. The revelation sparked concerns over the use of military property for private profit without compensation and raised questions about governmental transparency.