World Cup 2026 data roaming charges: How much will it cost to use my phone in USA, Mexico, Canada?

There are under two months left until the 2026 World Cup gets underway in Canada, Mexico and the USA. The newly expanded tournament will see 48 teams compete across 12 groups, starting with the opening game between Mexico and South Africa on June 11. The action will continue all the way until a winner is crowned on July 19.

England and Scotland are among the teams that will feature in the 2026 tournament after successfully making their way through qualifying. England fans will travel out to North America with hopes of seeing their country win the World Cup for the first time since 1966, while Scotland supporters will head out in their numbers to witness the country's first involvement in football's biggest tournament since the 1998 edition in France.

Those fans who plan to travel to the World Cup will need to make sure they are aware of any potential roaming costs of using their mobile phones in one of the three host countries.

Here, Football Ground Guide covers the key information about data roaming charges at the tournament, focusing on four of the UK's biggest network providers.

World Cup Data roaming charges

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You can roam in Canada, Mexico and the USA at no extra cost if you have the O2 travel inclusive bolt on or the O2 travel inclusive zone ultimate bolt on.

If not, you will have to pay standard rates as detailed below:

Making calls and receiving calls – £3 per minute

Sending texts – £1 per text

1GB – £6

3GB – £13

5GB – £18

Vodafone

If you have a data plan with 84 inclusive destinations, then you can use up to £25GB of data at no extra cost. If not, you will be charged £8 a day on top of your current plan for calls, texts and up to 25GB if you bought your plan on or after 11 August, 2021 and £6 a day if you bought your plan before that date.

Three

As per the Three website, your daily roaming charge will depend on your plan, when the plan was bought and what country you are travelling to.

If roaming is not included in your plan, you can purchase a ‘go roam around the world pass', which allows three customers to use 12GB of their monthly allowance. A three-day pass costs £12.50, a seven-day pass costs £30, and a 14-day pass costs £60.

Alternatively, you can buy a data passport if you need unlimited data during your time away at the tournament. A Data Passport will set you back £7 for 24 hours of unlimited data.

EE

EE pay monthly customers will be able to use their current plan abroad at no extra cost if they have one of the following: the roam further add-on, roaming inclusive extra, full works plan or max plan.

If roaming is not covered in your plan, you can buy roaming passes once you arrive at your destination. For £30, you can use your UK data allowance for seven days, or £6 for 24 hours of access.

What is an eSIM?

Alternatively, those travelling to the World Cup may want to purchase an eSIM rather than purchasing an add-on to their current plan.

An eSIM is simply a digital version of the SIM card in a smartphone. These can be bought online and downloaded onto your phone, allowing you to keep your number and use local data plans while abroad.

While it is a cost-effective option, the price of eSIMs depends on the company you buy from and the country you are planning to travel to.

Below are examples of eSIM prices and plans that are available for Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Fixed plans for 30 days (From Uswitch):

Canada:

£8 for 5GB

£13 for 10GB

£19 for 20GB

Mexico:

£9 for 5GB

£13 for 10GB

£19 for 20GB

USA:

£9 for 5GB

£12 for 10GB

£20 for 20GB