Football contributes 0.16% to Mexico's GDP, with TV as a bigger business than clubs, estimates Banamex

Football's economic footprint in Mexico is significant, contributing 0.16% to the national GDP in 2024 with an estimated 52.64 billion pesos in Gross Value Added (VAB). This figure, calculated by Banamex using a methodology similar to INEGI's for tourism and culture, places football's economic impact on par with sectors like dental services and credit unions.

The analysis highlights that media and broadcasting activities, including radio and television transmission and pay-TV, account for the largest portion of this economic value, generating approximately 9.6 billion pesos and 7.7 billion pesos respectively. Professional football clubs and teams contribute just over 9.1 billion pesos, indicating that the sport operates more as an entertainment and content industry than a purely sporting one.

Banamex's study, which created "satellite accounts" to measure football's economic contribution as it's not a distinct category in official records, found the sector's VAB to be between 0.10% and 0.23% of GDP. The report also identifies football as a pro-cyclical activity, meaning its economic performance is highly sensitive to the broader economy, expanding during growth periods and contracting during downturns.

“

It is of similar size to all generated by dental offices, half of the audio and video equipment manufacturing industry, and double the credit unions and savings institutions. This reinforces the idea that professional and amateur sports, media, and entertainment form an integrated and significant economic ecosystem.