World Cup 2026
Flying at you fast
World Cup 2026:
flying at you fast.
Billions of people globally will catch the World Cup on TV. But around 6 million fans are expected to turn up to watch the games in person.
For North American airports that’s a huge bump in passenger numbers over a short period. It could be like Thanksgiving Day, every day.
This is the first time the tournament has been hosted by three nations at the same time – the US, Mexico and Canada. It will not be news to you that there’s now also intense focus on cross border issues.
The competition has also been expanded by 50%.
Traditionally, the World Cup features the world’s top 32 teams. For 2026, FIFA decided to increase the number of nations taking part to 48, giving a total of 104 matches. As hosts, Mexico, Canada and the US qualify automatically, but the line up of all competitors will not be known till the end of March 2026.
16 cities. 48 teams.
104 games. 6 million fans.
For now, we won’t know which stadiums will feature which teams either. What is known is that flying will be the easiest way for fans to travel between the 16 participating cities.
It goes without saying that the cross border competition poses immediate challenges for airports – and the fan experience. Inevitably, there will be nations taking part which face restrictions on travel to the US. With a surge in passengers, even a tiny error rate could have big repercussions. It highlights the importance of SITA’s global Advance Passenger Processing platform (APP) and Digital Clearance.
But smart passenger processing and optimized airport management will be just as critical. Here’s our quick guide to simple steps you can take now to protect your airport’s performance. Otherwise things might get messy.
World class expertise for global events
2010 World Cup
South Africa
SITA supported South Africa’s major airports, covering 98% of air traffic. Using CUSS, we provided equipment and infrastructure for both agent check-in and self-service kiosk check-in across 75 airlines. Our innovative systems give airports the flexibility to deal with challenging surges of passengers.
2014 World Cup
Brazil
Effective operations aren’t just about handling more passengers. Airports need to be able to handle more flights more efficiently. SITA updated Brazil’s air traffic technology across 23 airports. We also installed 800 CUSS touch- points to optimize passenger flows.
2018 World Cup
Russia
At Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, we installed 150 automated gates, for mobile (or paper-based) access with security validation. Over 1.2 million people passed through these gates, helping manage high passenger volumes, reducing waiting times and enhancing border security.
2022 World Cup
Qatar
Doha is one of the world’s genuinely great airports. SITA’s Advance Passenger Processing and world-leading biometric tech optimized efficiency and security. As global specialists in airport tech, we also upgraded Qatar Airways global network infrastructure with SITA Connect Go.
Your game plan:
start small with FlexBox
North American airports are short of space – and sometimes short of staff. Self-serve with a small footprint is your first step to resolving the issue. You can even off-site passenger processing to hotels, malls or even airport buses.
- Optimize space with FlexBox – only about 1 ft high
- Enables mobile check-in, bag tag printing and data sharing
- Rapid deployment – all you need is power and an internet connection
- Install in the airport or at hotels, malls, car parks, or even on airport buses
- Cloud-based technology means no need for infrastructure upgrades
- API-driven approach integrates with airline apps and mobile technology
Achieve your on-time goals with smart resource allocation
SITA’s Airport Management suite of integrated solutions optimizes airport operations and improves resource allocation. In turn, you make passengers’ journey faster and smoother.
Does it work? In use by around 250 airports, SITA Airport Management Solution has a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 55 – showing powerful customer satisfaction.
Resilience and global reach backed by 24/7 support
SITA’s monitoring systems makes your IT more reliable and readily available. SITA Airport Management is supported 24/7 to give you global continuity through a flexible service model.
Our expert teams pro-actively monitor your infrastructure, identifying and resolving problems before they can adversely impact your airport operations and delay travelers
Smoother passenger flows from 21st century visual displays – installed in less than a week
Passengers are more relaxed and confident in their journeys when they feel well-informed about their flight status. And that’s when they’re willing to take time to dine and shop – and add non-aeronautical dollars to your revenue.
So it’s worth exploring how SITA’s APVe systems bring additional benefits. Our clear, attractive, easy-to-update displays are light on your IT and infrastructure, and put all your passenger messaging in one simple place:
- Better passenger experience brings in better revenue
- Custom branded solution for your environment - delivered in less than a week
- Easy data management and integration with existing IT
Five ways to win
at the World Cup
Innovative solutions that work
for busy airports.
SITA WorldTracer®
Worldwide, it powers industry progress on baggage efficiency – and we’ve seen huge reductions in mishandling rates in recent years. With easy IATA 7053 compliance, it’s the shared platform that delivers end-to-end benefits.
SITA Smart Path
With around 6,000 biometric touchpoints already at work in some of the world’s busiest airports, we’re literally years ahead in touchless travel. From booking to border, SITA Smart Path helps you face the future.
SITA Airside Optimizer
When you’ve got multiple stakeholders, it’s hard to keep everyone happy. Yet we all have one objective – on time performance. It’s the secret to better utilization and profitability for every partner. And passengers love it too.
SITA Total Optimizer
What’s your priority? In the dynamic complexity of a busy airport, you need to be able to bring your priorities to life. With SITA Total Optimizer, smart AI tools let you plan for the outcomes you want, building collaboration and efficiency.
SITA APVe
Out-of-date signage can cause confusion and missed flights. APVe gives you real-time signage and flight information. You guide passengers in their language to gate changes, transport options, and shopping and dining spots. Easy!
Do you remember when the World Cup was stolen? SITA does.
You’re probably far too young to remember. But, just before the World Cup in England in 1966, the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen.
The incident was as comical as it was criminal. The trophy was on display at an exhibition, and was pinched from under the noses of two uniformed policemen and two plainclothes officers. A failed ransom demand for £150,000 led to the arrest of a petty thief called Edward Betchley before the trophy was discovered under a bush by a dog called Pickles.
While all of this nonsense was going on, SITA was busy innovating for the global air travel industry. We’d already launched the world’s first operational network using packet switching. By the end of the 60s, we’d activated the world’s first nodal distributed network. To put it plainly, SITA helped invent the internet.
Since then, as a global business that’s focused exclusively on the air travel industry, we’ve continued to innovate. From leading the world in biometrics to integrating international data, we’re on the cusp of breakthrough technology for airports, airlines and governments. Watch this space (more closely than an English policeman watches the World Cup).
