The U.S. is hosting the world’s biggest sporting event next year and New York and New Jersey expect to be big winners.
Officials from the two states are projecting a $3.3 billion financial boost to the region from hosting the eight matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Those will all take place in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, most notably the final on July 19, 2026. The event is expected to attract more than 1.2 million fans and tourists, according to an economic impact summary released by the NYNJ Host Committee—the local body organizing the games—Bloomberg reported.
The tournament will generate an estimated $1.3 billion in total labor income for the regional economy, and $1.7 billion in projected spending within it from both match and non-match attendees, according to the committee’s estimates.
Next year’s World Cup is expected to be the most highly attended in FIFA’s history, with approximately six million fans from around the globe projected to attend the 104 matches across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, according to Bloomberg.
Outside of the tri-state area, Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Los Angeles are among the other 11 American cities hosting matches.
“It’s a legacy-defining opportunity to create lasting economic and social impact for New York and New Jersey,” Alex Lasry, chief executive officer of the NYNJ Host Committee, said in a statement. “From record tourism and global visibility to local investment and job creation, this tournament will help shape the future of our region.”
Over 26,000 jobs will be generated across the two states to support the games, according to the summary. The event will also institute approximately $432 million in state and local tax revenues. The NYNJ Host Committee partnered with Tourism Economics, a subsidiary of Oxford Economics, to conduct the study.
President Donald Trump, who calls FIFA President Gianni Infantino a friend, is optimistic about the global turnout for next year’s World Cup, even as his ongoing trade policies continue to impact a range of countries, several of which are expected to compete in the tournament.
“Tensions are a good thing,” Trump said during a FIFA task force meeting at the White House earlier this year when asked about how his policies would affect the tournament. “It’ll make it more exciting.”
The Club World Cup 2025, a 63-match tournament bringing together elite club teams from across the globe, wrapped up on July 13 with its final held in the New Jersey-New York region. FIFA reported that the event drew nearly 1.5 million spectators, but seats for many of the matches were conspicuously empty. That certainly won’t be the case with the World Cup, as more than four times the number of people are expected to attend matches during next year.