Washington DC [US], July 15: The 2026 FIFA World Cup is delivering its biggest economic payoff later than many businesses expected as fans wait until the tournament's decisive matches before booking flights, hotels, and tickets.
With the semifinals now underway, US host cities are experiencing a sharp increase in revenue as supporters from around the world converge to watch soccer's biggest stage. After weeks of uncertainty over bookings, economists and travel analysts say the tournament is now producing the kind of spending surge many local businesses had anticipated before kickoff.
According to new data cited by CNBC, every US host city has experienced an economic lift during the tournament, although the biggest gains have come during the knockout rounds rather than the group stage. "You can see the World Cup effect on the ground," David Tinsley, senior economist at Bank of America Institute, told CNBC.
France faces Spain in Dallas on Tuesday, while England takes on Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday.
As the list of contenders has narrowed, fans have increasingly booked last-minute trips to follow their national teams, creating a wave of economic activity across host markets.
"Spending picked up after the tournament kicked off, with restaurants and bars seeing some of the strongest gains as consumers turned matches into social events."
Bank of America Institute found that in-person spending in U.S. host cities increased 5% between June 10 and July 5 compared with the same period last year.
The figures are based on Bank of America credit and debit card transactions by U.S. households and do not include international visitors, corporate cards or cash purchases, suggesting the total economic impact is likely significantly larger.
Kansas City emerged as one of the tournament's biggest winners.
The city recorded the strongest increase in consumer spending among host markets while also posting nearly a 50% jump in hotel revenue per available room, or RevPAR, according to hospitality analytics firm CoStar, cited by CNBC.
Philadelphia also enjoyed a major tourism boost. Its World Cup matches coincided with Fourth of July celebrations and America 250 events, helping weekend RevPAR climb more than 74 percent.
Hotels were not full during the group stage. Occupancy across host cities actually declined nearly 3 percent from the previous year during the tournament's final week of group play as some traditional business and leisure travelers adjusted their schedules. Even so, hotels were able to charge average room rates that were 21% higher than a year earlier, according to CoStar.
As the competition advanced into the knockout rounds, demand strengthened considerably. Between June 28 and July 4, hotel demand rose 2.4% year over year while RevPAR climbed 23%, despite there being half as many matches as the previous week.
Short-term rental platforms have seen similar momentum.
"I guess, for some of the later stage games, people waited until they knew who was going to be playing," Braham Gallagher, AirDNA's director of economic forecasting, told CNBC.
Argentina's continued success has become one of the tournament's biggest travel drivers.
Bhanu Chopra, founder of RateGain Travel Technologies and creator of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Market Pulse Index, said Argentine supporters have been booking trips almost immediately after each victory.
"Argentina shows what it looks like when fans book a trip the moment their team wins," Chopra said. "Argentina fans are following the tournament closely and responding with bookings in real time."
Since the World Cup began, flight bookings from Argentina have risen nearly 46% compared with last year. Reservations to Atlanta, where Argentina played its Round of 16 match and now faces England in the semifinal, have surged more than 108 percent.
Source: Qatar Tribune
