Although China has no team on the pitch at the 2026 World Cup, the country’s industrial and technological presence is dominating the tournament’s logistics in Mexico.

China has bolstered Mexico’s capacity as a host country with railways and buses, as well as the tournament’s official footballs. And that support comes at a time when the Latin American country is navigating its relations with Beijing amid mounting pressure from Washington.

Among the bigger-ticket items on a long list of support for Mexico, enterprises from China have supplied 115 light-rail trains designed to serve Mexico City’s Fifa World Cup venues and 1,000 new-energy buses to transport tourists, according to Chinese media reports.

The state-owned China Railway No 4 Engineering Group also built a train line to ease traffic in Monterrey, one of the tournament’s host cities.

China’s footprint extends deep into the tournament’s digital backbone. Tencent Cloud is set to provide live-streaming technical services to official broadcasting platforms in 16 countries and regions, including China. Chinese tech companies have increasingly expanded their presence in the global sports event.

Alibaba’s Alicloud remains a long-term sponsor of the World Cup, further cementing the presence of big Chinese tech firms. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. And Beijing-based PC developer Lenovo, as a Fifa World Cup technology sponsor, is deploying artificial intelligence for match analysis and fan engagement, Xinhua reported.