World Cup 2026 generates $3.5 billion across New York, New Jersey

The 2026 FIFA World Cup generated an estimated $3.5 billion in economic activity across New York and New Jersey, exceeding the region’s initial projection by $200 million, according to a post-tournament analysis by the New York/New Jersey Host Committee, Forbes reports, citing a study, conducted by Tourism Economics.

The study found that the tournament generated about $1.9 billion in direct economic activity, supported 27,424 full- and part-time jobs and produced approximately $1.4 billion in labour income.

State and local governments collected an estimated $414.2 million in tax revenue linked to World Cup activities.

“The final numbers demonstrate that New York and New Jersey didn’t just rise to the occasion — we exceeded expectations and delivered an impact that will be felt long after the final whistle,” Alex Lasry, CEO of the New York/New Jersey Host Committee, said in a statement.

The region hosted eight World Cup matches at New York-New Jersey Stadium, including the final, in which Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time. It also staged free official fan events and other programmes across New Jersey, New York City’s five boroughs and other parts of New York state.

More than 645,000 fans attended the eight matches, while another 626,300 visitors from outside the region travelled to New York or New Jersey for World Cup-related activities, including fan events away from the stadium. Combined, match and non-match visitors generated approximately $1.7 billion in direct spending.

Lodging businesses accounted for about $653 million in direct spending, followed by food and beverage businesses with $346 million. Retail generated approximately $264 million, transportation $200 million, and recreation and entertainment $195 million.

The initial $1.9 billion in direct spending also generated further economic activity as businesses purchased goods and services from regional suppliers and workers spent income earned during the tournament.

Tourism Economics estimated that these effects generated another $693 million in indirect business activity and $916 million in induced activity, bringing the overall economic impact to $3.5 billion.

The tournament generated an estimated $759 million in total federal, state and local tax revenue, including about $174 million in sales taxes and nearly $39 million in hotel occupancy taxes.

The employment impact extended across multiple sectors. Food and beverage businesses accounted for about 4,500 jobs, the largest employment contribution among the sectors studied. Transportation supported roughly 4,400 jobs, while lodging supported about 4,000.

Of the $1.4 billion in total labour income generated by the tournament, approximately $792 million came from direct activity, while another $580 million resulted from indirect and induced effects.

The tournament was the first World Cup to feature 48 teams. In addition to the United States, matches were also held in Mexico and Canada.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov