Previous market fears of an economic downturn have proven unfounded, with host cities like Philadelphia and Kansas City seeing substantial surges in tourism revenue.
On the streets of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, Dutch fans clad in orange paraded. In June, before the World Cup began, Dutch supporters took to the streets of Kansas City.
Key Points
Fans from around the world have driven a massive spending spree in U.S. World Cup host cities, with Philadelphia and Kansas City, Missouri, emerging as primary beneficiaries.
Scottish fans drank Boston bars dry of beer, Dutch fans booked out every hotel in Kansas City, and French fans ate Philadelphia cheesesteak shops into sold-out status.
Over the past month, domestic and international fans have spent heavily across all American host cities. While the final match just concluded on Sunday and full economic statistics are still being compiled, many local businesses have already reported record-breaking revenues. The biggest winners of this tournament were not marquee cities like New York or Los Angeles, but rather smaller markets like Philadelphia and Kansas City, Missouri, which experienced significant tourism growth.
"It feels great to be making a killing," said Doug Hager, owner of the German beer hall "Schmitz Beer Hall" in Philadelphia. The hall branded itself as the city's "World Cup headquarters," with a promotional slogan: "Afternoon matches, directly disrupting your workday." Since the tournament began, the establishment has sold approximately 4,000 German pretzels.
Months ago, many travel and hospitality experts predicted the World Cup could result in a net economic loss for the U.S. Victor Matheson, an economics professor at the College of the Holy Cross, explained that two major concerns were prevalent: that the massive influx of World Cup visitors would deter regular leisure tourists, and that the number of visiting international fans might fall short of expectations.
Mark Prinzinger, co-owner of a Philadelphia sports bar, prepared extensively for the event: hanging a 20-foot world map and creating a signature cocktail called the "Mbappé Mix," named after French star Kylian Mbappé. But on the eve of the tournament, he was filled with anxiety, fearing the place would be empty.
However, consumer spending data from Bank of America shows the World Cup significantly boosted local spending in cities like Philadelphia. Prinzinger's bar saw daily crowds comparable to Super Bowl Sunday, with every bartender working at full capacity. "We sold out of almost everything every single day. We were constantly running out of stock," he said.
Matheson conceded, "The evidence is that the fans did show up."
It remains unverified whether FIFA's pre-tournament estimate that the event would boost U.S. GDP by $17 billion will prove accurate.
Economists at Bank of America analyzed that U.S. consumer spending on credit and debit cards rose 6.3% year-over-year in June, the fastest pace in over four years, with the World Cup being a key driver. The event boosted not only restaurant spending but also revenue at physical retail stores.
Note: As an official sponsor of this World Cup, Bank of America's data does not capture spending by international visitors, so the full economic impact of inbound tourism related to the event cannot yet be calculated.
Aviation data firm Cirium estimates that during the tournament, advance flight bookings from Europe to Philadelphia, Kansas City, Dallas, and Houston saw modest increases. In contrast, international bookings to Los Angeles, Miami, and New York actually declined.
The hotel industry reaped significant benefits, primarily due to substantial price increases during the event. Analysis by real estate data platform CoStar shows that on average match days in early July, revenue per available room in host cities was about 35% higher than the same period last year. Occupancy gains were modest during the group stage but rose steadily through the knockout rounds of 32 and 16. Room rate trends varied by city, with some cities compensating for lower occupancy with significant price hikes.
Before the tournament, FIFA estimated the World Cup would create about 185,000 full-time jobs in the U.S., but tournament-related hiring did not provide a noticeable lift to overall employment. Data from the U.S. Labor Department shows a significant reduction in leisure and hospitality jobs in June.
Numerous economic studies suggest that mega-events like the World Cup and Olympics often fail to deliver lasting net benefits to host cities: local governments invest heavily in infrastructure, regular tourists planning summer visits are deterred by crowds, and the result can be a net loss. Matheson argues that on a national scale, the event's economics largely represent a shift in spending: tourists who might have vacationed in Denver this summer instead went to Kansas City for soccer, with no net increase in overall spending.
"The World Cup is a lot of fun," he said, "but there's almost no evidence that it actually makes a country richer."
However, Bank of America data indicates that overall spending in Philadelphia grew compared to the same period last year. Furthermore, the city's infrastructure successfully handled the dual pressures of World Cup crowds and this month's U.S. 250th-anniversary celebrations. "It's a clear win," assessed Saloni Tandon, an analyst with the Greater Philadelphia Economic Alliance.
In the Phoenixville suburb northwest of Philadelphia, a Korean fried chicken sports bar called "Soko Bag" was broadcasting the England vs. Norway match when a sudden, severe storm hit. Owner Shay Roggio recalled rain violently battering the windows before the power went out completely.
The bar was packed with fans, poised to set a single-day sales record. The sudden failure sent him into a panic: "Those ten minutes were the longest of my life."
Despite the power outage, intermittent internet, and plumbing issues in the restrooms, Roggio felt a sense of fulfillment watching the bar full of Norwegian and English fans eating Korean fried chicken and watching the match. After power was restored, the day's total revenue reached about $13,000. He reflected, "I wish this party would never end."
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