The Justice Department announced today, alongside its partners from Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE) and Canada’s Competition Bureau, the launch of a joint initiative to deter, detect and prosecute collusive schemes related to the provision of goods and services in connection with the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the three nations, with events scheduled to occur across 11 locations in the United States, three cities in Mexico, and two cities in Canada. Through this initiative, the enforcement agencies will collaborate on outreach to the public and business community about anti-competitive conduct, as well as on investigations, using intelligence sharing and existing international cooperation tools.
“This historic event will bring billions of dollars in economic activity to cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division will be vigilant in detecting anticompetitive conduct by any businesses and individuals that exploit the economic opportunities created by the games. We look forward to working with our international partners on this effort.”
“As an authority, we have set out to make the benefits of competition tangible for the population,” said Chairwoman Andrea Marván of COFECE. “For Mexico, competition in soccer means passion and enjoyment. Just as in the World Cup, for competition to happen in the economic markets, a level playing field for all those interested in offering their goods and services should be guaranteed. Today we announce a historic collaboration to promote the inclusive benefits of economic and sports competition. In this regard, COFECE will be as vigilant as ever to guarantee that the economic benefits derived from this event are not affected by anti-competitive conducts that could harm both local and international fans. We will work alongside the U.S. and Canadian antitrust agencies to ensure that, no matter where, all markets are working in a competitive and efficient way during this historic event.”
“Strong cooperation among law enforcers and partner organizations is key to ensuring that illegal conduct is investigated, and that appropriate action is taken,” said Commissioner Matthew Boswell of the Competition Bureau of Canada. “The Competition Bureau will do everything in its power to pursue those who seek to unjustly profit from the World Cup.”
The World Cup is expected to generate benefits across a wide range of sectors in the economy, including the construction, entertainment and tourism industries in the following host sites: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Missouri, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Miami, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. Collaborating with our international partners will allow us to deter anti-competitive conduct impacting the games in our three nations.
Anyone with information regarding market allocation, price fixing, bid rigging or other anticompetitive conduct should contact the Procurement Collusion Strike Force at www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force or the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258.
Read more at the Justice Department
