World Cup insurance coverage affected by geopolitical and cross-border complexity

Everything you need to know about the 2026 World Cup, beyond the games
With a record number of 48 teams competing and matches played in three countries, the 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to be the biggest in the tournament's history.
However, a complex geopolitical scenario complicated the taking out of insurance in the final stretch for the event, according to brokers and insurers specializing in contingencies told The Insurer magazine.
Held in United States, Canada and Mexico, the tournament is the first to be played in three countries. The event will take place in 16 cities, including 11 in the US, three in Mexico and two in Canada.
A study by FIFA and the World Trade Organization published in April 2025 indicated that around 6.5 million people were expected to attend the event, generating up to US$40.9 billion in gross domestic product.
Sponsors, organizers and business partners are paying more attention to political violence, travel disruptions and cross-border risks than in previous tournaments, according to sources involved in the organizing process.
These concerns, coupled with the high cost of tickets, could also cause some fans to stay away; a May 2026 report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association indicated that 80 percent of hoteliers surveyed in host cities said bookings were below initial forecasts.
World Cup Insurance
Aerial image of Azteca stadium, where the 2026 World Cup opening ceremony is taking place.
AP/Fernando Llano/File
Miller Insurance head of contingencies Carl Baxter said that Buyers of commercial insurance for the event can be divided into three broad categories: FIFA itself, local organizing committees and the venues hosting the matches.
Arch Insurance International's head of contingencies, Chris Rackliffe, said cover can also be purchased by other parties, including broadcasters, hospitality providers and hotels.
Insurance for these buyers "pretty much all falls on London", said Miller's Baxter. This would be provided by Lloyd's or the London Insurance Market.
Types of coverage
Contingency insurance is commonly purchased to cover the cancellation, abandonment or interruption of major events and offers protection to businesses or individuals against financial loss caused by unexpected and unavoidable events.
Arch's Rackliffe said purchasing contingency insurance for this year's World Cup has been particularly complex.
"Some parties will purchase match-by-match coverage (cover total), others only require coverage for cancellation or abandonment of the entire event.

Some policies extend to cover non-attendance by individual teams arising from any possible travel interruption, catastrophic accident or illness," said Rackliffe.
Miller's Baxter said political violence and terrorism cover can be purchased as an add-on to the event cancellation policy, although it can also be purchased independently.
He said other coverage relevant to the World Cup includes prize indemnity, the insurance that event organizers or companies purchase to protect themselves against any prizes great value they offer.
Geopolitical risks
Arch's Rackliffe said the geopolitical landscape has influenced purchasing decisions for this year's tournament, with extensions of terrorism cover and civil unrest cover becoming much more relevant.
James Wilson, director of special risks at Tokio Marine Kiln, said there has been a greater awareness of the dangers of political violence on the part of sponsors and commercial partners compared to previous tournaments.
"The threat arising "The worsening labor relations issues in Mexico, cartel violence and the ripple impacts of war in the Middle East have raised awareness of the heightened risk of disruption," Wilson said. He also pointed out that the three-country format of the 2026 tournament adds complexity. exclude cyber risks, Miller's Baxter said, with the products offered in the traditional cyber risk contingency market being "fairly narrow."
He said some markets have a broader cyber contingency offering, albeit with reduced limits.
Due to the broad exclusion, Baxter said "cyber risk should be discussed on an individual risk basis." business classes could no longer ignore risk coverage.
The contingency market, which at the time was dealing with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, chose to exclude it because it was seen as a "systemic risk", Baxter said.
For insurers and brokers, the 2026 tournament could offer an early indication of how demand for event coverage evolves in response to geopolitical risk, with heightened scrutiny of political violence, cyber exposures and cross-border disruptions which should influence the design of coverage for future global events.
The tournament begins on June 11, when Mexico hosts South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City in a repeat of the opening match of the 2010 World Cup.

Source: G1

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