The World Cup will not have as much economic impact in the United States as expected this year
This event is a driver of the world economy every four years. Photo: Image generated with artificial intelligence.
TL;DR
- The 2026 World Cup, hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, is predicted to have a minimal economic impact on the US economy.
- The event is expected to contribute only 0.05 percentage points to US GDP growth in 2026.
- Mexico is forecast to see a larger relative economic impact of 0.13 percentage points, and Canada 0.07 percentage points.
- The limited impact in the US and Canada is attributed to their developed infrastructure, requiring fewer large-scale investments for the tournament.
- Mexico's smaller economy means the tournament's spending will have a more visible effect on its growth.
- Economic benefits will largely depend on tourism and spectator spending, rather than infrastructure development.
- The hosting model aims to avoid the cost overruns and debt associated with previous World Cups.
- Economic benefits will be concentrated in specific host cities like California, Texas, New York, and Miami in the US, and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.