More than 1.24 million fans will travel to the United States next year to watch the World Cup, with an average of two games per person. International arrivals will increase by 60% and hotel revenues by up to 25%. It is the effect of the largest soccer team tournament on the American economy.
The World Cup, which will take place from June 11 to July 19, will be “a wave of arrivals and bursts of hotel demand linked to clusters of coincidences, in addition to longer-term benefits derived from global exposure and repeat visits,” according to an analysis by economists at “Tourism Economics.”
The report from this company, linked to the British consulting firm Oxford Economics, analyzed the impact that the championship will have on the cities of the United States, one of the three countries, along with Canada and Mexico, that will host the World Cup.
A wave of fans
One of the most notable effects that the tournament will leave will be the volume of arrivals, say economists, who estimate that 1.24 million fans will travel to the United States to follow the World Cup.
60% of these trips, equivalent to 742,000 visitors, would not have occurred if it were not for the championship, which according to the analysis will help revive a sector – that of overnight trips – that was experiencing a complicated 2025.
“Soccer fans plan for years to follow their teams and can organize once-in-a-lifetime trips around the World Cup,” he said in a webinars the director of industry studies at Tourism Economics, Aran Ryan.
It is expected that 40% of the spectators in the stadiums will be foreigners who, on average, attend two matches during their stay in the United States.
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More teams, more games
Hotel income is another of the main indicators that experts used. Specifically, they hope that New York, Dallas and Miami, three of the cities that host the most games in the final stages, will benefit the most.
Room revenue will increase between 2.5 and 7% in June 2026, when the United States hosts most of the World Cup matches.
Add in the month of July, when the country will host all matches between the quarterfinals and the final, Ryan said some cities could see an increase of between 1 and 5% in their annual room revenue.
The next World Cup will be the largest to date with 48 teams. The United States will host 78 of the 104 matches, representing 75% of the matches, with stadiums with an average capacity of almost 70,000 seats distributed across 11 venues.
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey/New York will host the final on July 19.
Argentina, Brazil, France and England, the most popular parties
The analysis reflected that the countries that attract the most followers, and therefore have a greater economic impact on the host cities, are Argentina, Brazil, France and England.
But he specified that the unexpected success of a less common team can also generate a greater flow of fans, as its followers feel that they are facing a unique opportunity.
However, we will have to wait for the group stage draw, which will be held in Washington DC on December 5, to have a clearer idea. That day all the matches of the first phase will be defined and the cities that host the most popular teams will be known.
Despite the matches being still unknown, FIFA surpassed one million tickets sold after the first ticket draw held last September, and a new one was added in October for which the number of buyers has not yet been revealed.
“The global reach of the World Cup is unmatched,” said Ryan.
With information from EFE
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