The 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching, and with it comes one of the biggest tourism opportunities North America has ever seen. The global spotlight will shine on 16 host cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and millions of visitors will travel through not just those cities but also their neighboring regions, downtowns, and nearby communities.

If you’re part of a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), Chamber of Commerce, Main Street program, or economic development team, now is the time to start preparing. Your city’s story, attractions, and hospitality will be on display — and visitors will be looking for clear wayfinding, engaging itineraries, and mobile maps to help them explore with ease.

In this guide, we’ll share how you can use digital maps, printed guides, walking tours, and check-in events to market your destination before and during the FIFA World Cup. You’ll also learn how to capture valuable engagement data so you can prove impact and conversion after the crowds head home.

1. Why Now Is the Time to Prepare for FIFA World Cup 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is unique. For the first time, the event will be hosted across three countries and sixteen cities:

United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York / New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle
Canada: Toronto, Vancouver
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey

Each of these metro areas — and the hundreds of communities surrounding them — will see a surge in international visitors looking for places to eat, stay, and explore. Even towns an hour or two outside the official host cities will benefit from overflow tourism.

That means now is the time to build your destination marketing strategy around the event. Think about how you can:

• Highlight your local experiences for visitors planning their trip months in advance.
• Offer mobile maps and printable guides for travelers once they arrive.
• Launch wayfinding guides that make navigating your destination simple and memorable.
• Use data tracking to prove how your marketing influenced visitor spending.

Searches for phrases like “how to prepare for FIFA World Cup 2026,” “marketing destination for World Cup,” and “World Cup marketing campaigns” are already climbing. The destinations that act now will dominate search results, build anticipation on social media, and attract both visitors and sponsors.

2. Build Interactive and Printed Maps That Guide Fans and Tell Your Story

Maps are no longer just for navigation — they’re your destination’s digital front door. Using Proxi, you can create interactive maps, print-ready guides, and wayfinding tools that make your area shine before and during the World Cup.

Create Mobile Maps for Visitors on the Go

Start by plotting your destination’s best restaurants, attractions, hotels, and public spaces. Include visitor tips, accessibility notes, and event schedules.
Each point can include a date and time, which makes it easy to highlight match-day events, watch parties, and fan festivals happening across your area.

Because Proxi maps are fully web-based, visitors can open them instantly on their phones — no app download required. They can even save the map to their home screen, giving them a branded “mini app” experience that works offline and stays accessible during their trip.

Add Dates, Times, and Live Events

Turn your map into a live calendar of everything happening in your destination. Use the date and time features to tag special events, concerts, parades, and viewing parties. Visitors can plan their free time around the games and explore based on what’s happening “today.”

Crowdsource Content From Your Community

Let your community help fill in the map. With Proxi’s crowdsourcing tools, local businesses, tourism partners, and residents can easily submit their own events, promotions, or hidden gems through a branded form. You decide whether to auto-approve or review each addition before it goes live.
This feature keeps your map constantly fresh — and builds community ownership in your destination’s World Cup campaign.

Design Printable Maps and Wayfinding Guides

For on-the-ground visibility, turn your digital map into printable guides for hotels, restaurants, and airports. Add QR codes that link directly to the live version of the map so visitors always have the latest updates.

You can even print large-format kiosk maps for visitor centers or public spaces, ensuring fans can find their way easily no matter how crowded the city gets.

Measure Engagement and ROI

With Proxi’s built-in analytics, you can track map views, clicks, and conversions — proving your marketing impact to sponsors, city councils, or grant funders. Whether you’re distributing printed maps, running mobile maps, or combining both, you’ll have clear data on how your campaign performed.

3. Turn Your Map Into a Full Visitor Experience

A static map shows where things are. An interactive Proxi map creates an experience that keeps fans exploring and spending locally.

Host Check-In Challenges and Digital Passports

Use Proxi Passport Challenges to create interactive experiences where visitors check in at local businesses, attractions, or landmarks.
You can reward them with prizes, discounts, or entries into a local raffle — perfect for keeping fans entertained between matches.

Add date and time windows to your check-in challenges so certain stops or bonuses only activate during specific hours or match days.
For example, in Kansas City, you could host a “Fan Foodie Challenge” that rewards visitors for checking in at participating restaurants after each game. In Toronto, a “Cultural Crawl” could highlight neighborhoods with special events scheduled for match weekends.

Launch Walking Tours and Self-Guided Itineraries

Create custom itineraries for fans who want to explore on foot or by public transit. Highlight art installations, local history, or photo spots perfect for World Cup visitors.
Each stop can include live event details, so if a concert or street performance is scheduled, it appears directly on the map.

Engage Visitors with Multilingual and Accessible Maps

The World Cup brings fans from all over the world. Proxi makes it simple to translate maps into multiple languages, including Spanish, French, and Portuguese, ensuring every visitor feels welcome.
Add accessibility notes, parking information, and walking distances to make your map inclusive for all travelers.

Keep It Live and Local

Empower local business owners to update their points throughout the tournament. They can post limited-time offers, extend hours, or advertise new viewing parties — all visible to fans in real time.
Your destination’s map becomes a living guide that evolves as the event unfolds.

4. Promote Your Destination Before, During, and After the Tournament

A successful World Cup marketing campaign requires strategy before, during, and after the matches.

Before the Tournament

• Promote on Social Media: Use your map as visual content. Share snippets of itineraries or check-in challenges on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn to generate buzz.
• Run Paid Ads: Target people searching for “World Cup travel” or “things to do in [host city]” with ads linking to your interactive map.
• Write Blog Posts: Publish SEO-optimized articles like “Things to Do Near [City] During the FIFA World Cup 2026” or “Top Local Experiences for Soccer Fans.”
• Email Campaigns: Send out a branded “Fan Guide” featuring your map and itineraries to travel planners and local subscribers.
• Direct Mail: Print and mail event guides or mini-magazines with your map QR code to hotels, local sponsors, and visitors who have opted in to receive updates.

During the Tournament

• Use Sidewalk Signs and Posters: Place QR codes on signs outside popular venues and hotels so visitors can access your live map instantly.
• Distribute Printed Maps: Stock them at airports, visitor centers, and restaurants.
• Crowdsource New Events: Invite businesses to submit events daily so your map stays fresh with pop-ups, live music, and last-minute specials.
• Highlight What’s Happening Now: Update the map with current-day events using Proxi’s date and time filters, keeping your destination guide in sync with the energy of the tournament.

After the Tournament

When the final whistle blows, your map remains a valuable asset.
Use analytics from Proxi to report your results — how many visitors engaged, which points got the most traffic, and which businesses saw measurable impact.
This data helps you secure future grant funding or sponsorships for long-term tourism campaigns.

You can then reposition your World Cup map as a permanent local guide that continues to promote your downtown, Main Street, or regional attractions long after the fans have gone home.

5. Get Started with Proxi — Create Your World Cup Visitor Map in Under an Hour

You don’t need to hire an agency or spend months developing your World Cup campaign. With Proxi, you can build your first interactive map in under an hour and be ready to promote your destination across web, print, and mobile.

Here’s how:

1. Create Your Map: Choose a template for itineraries, events, or challenges.
2. Add Local Points: Include top attractions, match-day events, or sponsor locations.
3. Add Dates and Times: Schedule events or challenges tied to game days and special activities.
4. Activate Crowdsourcing: Let businesses and residents add their own events or promotions via a branded submission form.
5. Share Everywhere: Embed your map on your website, link in social media, print QR codes, or invite fans to save it to their home screen like an app.
6. Track Impact: Use your analytics dashboard to see how fans engaged, which businesses benefited, and how your marketing influenced conversions.

Proxi combines digital and print-ready wayfinding, interactive itineraries, and visitor engagement tools — all backed by data and easy to update in real time.

You can even use grant funding to develop your wayfinding materials, event maps, and printed visitor guides. Many tourism and Main Street programs fund these types of tools as part of accessibility, signage, and community engagement initiatives.

Your Destination’s Moment Is Now

The 2026 FIFA World Cup isn’t just about soccer. It’s about storytelling, connection, and showcasing the best of North America’s communities.
Whether your destination is in Seattle, Houston, Mexico City, or Toronto, fans will be looking for local culture, memorable experiences, and easy ways to navigate.

By combining mobile maps, printed guides, wayfinding signage, and interactive challenges, your organization can capture visitor attention, drive economic impact, and gather the data you need to tell your success story.