How to prepare from Colombia to travel to the 2026 World Cup in the United States or Mexico

There are trips planned with excitement. And there are others, like a World Cup, that are planned almost like an operation: with a cool head, well-thought-out routes, and enough leeway so that nothing important depends on luck. ⚽✈️

If you've traveled before, you know that the real problem is usually not the flight or the hotel. The problem arises when very high demand, crowded cities, short times between matches, and hastily made decisions coincide. That's when a trip that promised to be unforgettable can turn into a chain of lines, surcharges, and poorly resolved journeys. 😵💫

Therefore, if you are going to follow Colombia in the 2026 World Cup, the logic should not be “let’s see what happens”, but a much more useful one: define your travel window, choose your venues well and create a route that can withstand the pressure of the tournament. 🗺️ FIFA keeps all the official tournament information —dates, venues, sales phases and tickets— on its official channels, and that's where you should look first, not in WhatsApp chains or miraculous links.

📅 The tournament will be played from June 11 to July 19, 2026 during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. ⚽

🛂 If your route includes United States, there's one condition that allows no improvisation: having an up-to-date visa

If you already have an up-to-date visa, it becomes just another key part of your travel planning. But if you don't have one, or it's expired, the most realistic approach is not to include the United States in your itinerary. It's that simple. For a trip like the World Cup ⚽, leaving that "to be seen later" is not a strategy: it's adding uncertainty to tickets, flights, and reservations, especially considering that we are only a few months away from the World Cup celebration.

Now, there's an important nuance: if your visa is still valid, but stamped in an expired passport, it can still be used as long as you also travel with a new, valid passport. 📘

With Mexico, the dynamic is different. Colombians do not need a visa for tourist trips of up to 180 days, but that does not mean you can improvise upon arrival. If you enter by air ✈️, travel pre-registration is mandatory: this process generates a QR code and the Multiple Migratory Form, so it is advisable to do it before flying and have the basic travel information at hand.

Also, arrive with everything clear: valid passport, accommodation reservation, exit ticket and an easy-to-explain itinerary if asked. Because at immigration, it helps a lot if your trip looks organized and makes sense. 🧳

And here's a tip that isn't always mentioned, but can save you from an awkward moment: if you've traveled before, have photos of past trips or even easy-to-show previous reservations on your phone. 📱 It's not an official requirement, of course, but sometimes it helps to back up your travel history if you get asked extra questions.

🎟️ Tickets: more than just buying a ticket, it's about understanding what you're buying

At a World Cup, buying tickets isn't just about going to a website and choosing a seat. FIFA organizes sales in phases and specific windows, and also manages different types of products depending on the fan's profile and the experience they seek. ⚽

On the other hand, there's official hospitality, which is something else entirely. Here you're not just buying a ticket, but a more complete experience: premium seats, food and drinks, access to hospitality areas, and other benefits depending on the package. FIFA operates it through its official provider and presents it as an option available at all three venues of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with formats ranging from individual matches to private suites or stadium packages. In other words, it's an alternative for those who want to resolve that part of the trip with more comfort and an elevated experience from the moment of purchase. ✨

On the other hand, there's official hospitality, which is something else entirely. Here you're not just buying a ticket, but a more complete experience: premium seats, food and drinks, access to hospitality areas, and other benefits depending on the package. FIFA operates it through its official provider and presents it as an option available at all three venues of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with formats ranging from individual matches to private suites or stadium packages. In other words, it's an alternative for those who want to resolve that part of the trip with more comfort and an elevated experience from the moment of purchase. ✨

And there's a third piece that's also worth keeping on your radar: the FIFA Resale/Exchange Marketplace, which is the official channel for buying tickets resold or exchanged by other fans. It doesn't offer packages or special products: only Single Match Tickets. But precisely because of that, it's a useful tool if you didn't get a ticket in a previous phase and want to keep searching within an official channel, with less risk and more peace of mind than through informal resales. In addition, FIFA itself opens and closes this marketplace according to the sales calendar; for example, it announced that it will reopen on April 2, 2026. 📅

In practice, this helps you make better decisions:

• If you want to follow Colombia within the official fan system, you should understand how the Supporter Entry Tier works.

• If you prioritize comfort and a more resolved experience, it's worth looking into official hospitality.

• And if you didn't get a ticket in the first round, the right place to keep trying is the official resale/exchange marketplace.

The important thing is not to start buying "to see what appears", but to know what kind of experience you are looking for and from which official channel it is best to pursue it. 🎫

💸 The World Cup Budget: where it really breaks

The classic traveler's mistake is to focus only on tickets and flights, and underestimate everything else.

But at a World Cup, the budget gets unbalanced by small, repeated things: very expensive short transfers, a bad hotel night because you left it for later, meals bought in the stadium area, or an additional night because the itinerary was too tight.

To give it a realistic baseline, in the United States there is a useful public reference: the GSA table, where the government publishes by city how much sleeping usually costs and how much they calculate for meals and daily expenses on business trips.

For Miami, for example, that reference marks around USD 145 per night for accommodation and about USD 92 daily for meals and expenses.

Budget tip: book accommodation with flexible cancellation and decide beforehand how you will return from the stadium. This detail can save you a lot of money.

🎒 Match Day: Less Stuff, Fewer Problems

The classic traveler's mistake is to focus only on the ticket and flight, and underestimate everything else. But at a World Cup ⚽ the budget gets unbalanced by small, repeated things: very expensive short transfers, a bad hotel night because you left it for later, meals bought in the stadium area, a last-minute change of plan, or an additional night because the itinerary was too tight.

To establish a realistic baseline for this, in the United States there is a useful public reference: the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) table, where the government publishes by city how much accommodation usually costs and how much they estimate for meals and daily expenses for business travel. It's not a "tourist rate", but it does serve as a compass.

For Miami, for example, that reference indicates around USD 145 per night (approx $600,000 COP) for accommodation and USD 92 daily (approx $350,000 COP) for meals and expenses. 💵

It doesn't mean that that will be your exact expenditure. Rather, it gives you a fairly clear idea of the price level you can expect in a city like Miami during peak season.

That's why it's advisable to arrive with a well-thought-out plan:

• Flexible lodging booked 🏨

• A location that connects you well with your other plans 🗺️

• Return from the match sorted out beforehand 🚕

🎒 The most useful tips here are for the match

If you've traveled before, you know there are small mistakes that end up costing time, energy, and patience. At a World Cup ⚽, one of them is arriving at the stadium with too many things. Not because "something serious will happen," but because that's precisely where unnecessary queues, confiscations, and silly stress start before entry.

FIFA has already clarified several general rules for entry

In short: travel light. Cell phone 📱, ID, power bank, a card 💳 and sunscreen ☀️. If you arrive with a backpack because you bought something last minute, you'll most likely end up dealing with a problem you could have avoided.

And pay attention to something many people overlook: each stadium may have its own rules, in addition to the general World Cup rules. For example, the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami applies a clear bag policy and restricts the size of what you can bring in. At Estadio Akron, in Guadalajara, there are also specific restrictions for food, beverages, and items like large flags or flagpoles.

Therefore, more than learning “the World Cup rules,” what really saves you headaches is doing something very simple the night before: checking the policy of the exact stadium you're going to enter. This basic gesture is what prevents you from ending up throwing things away at the gate, holding up the line, or starting the match in a bad mood.

🚌 How to get to stadiums without turning the match into an odyssey

Another common mistake: only thinking about how to get there, and not how to leave.

Simple rule: if the stadium is far away, don't leave the return to be improvised after the match. Have it sorted out before you go in.

📶 Connectivity: not to "have signal," but to avoid logistical breakdowns

At a World Cup ⚽, your cell phone isn't just the goal camera. It's your ticket 🎟️, your map 🗺️, your way back 🚕, your wallet 💳, and your meeting point.

That's why, rather than thinking of data as a luxury, it's worth treating it as travel infrastructure. Conecty offers plans starting from USD 6 (approx. $25,000 COP), and the value there isn't just in "having internet," but in landing already connected ✈️📶 and not wasting an hour figuring that out as soon as you arrive.

The best tip here isn't technical, it's practical: get everything sorted before you take off. Active eSIM, downloaded maps, tickets saved on your phone and also outside the app, and a simple folder with reservations, hotel address, and match routes. 📱

🌎 What's worth doing between matches

If your trip gives you a free afternoon, use it wisely. Not to chase "20 must-sees," but to experience something that genuinely connects you with the city.