Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today announced that the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered an estimated $2 billion in economic impact to New York City this summer, including $1.3 billion in direct visitor and operational spending. Analysis also found that foot traffic at the city's sports bars increased by 16% year-over-year throughout the tournament, while direct visitor and operational spending supported more than 12,000 jobs across hospitality, food service, retail and other industries.
Across the New York-New Jersey region, the tournament generated an estimated $3.5 billion in total economic impact. New York City captured 56% of that impact and 70% of all visitor spending in the area.
Earlier this year, the Mamdani administration launched a suite of initiatives to ensure that businesses in all five boroughs benefitted from the World Cup, including a $26 for 2026 meal and drink special, the "Welcome World Rewards" program and the World Cup Business Toolkit. Today's preliminary analysis demonstrates the economic benefits of those efforts, and the potential for major sporting events to put money in the pockets of local businesses and workers across the city.
"This summer, we proved that the people's game can still belong to the people - to the deli owners, cab drivers and line cooks who welcomed visitors from around the globe to New York City and powered the World Cup," said Mayor Mamdani. "We didn't want the benefits of this tournament to stop at the stadium gates. We worked to bring fans into our neighborhoods, onto our blocks and into our local bars, restaurants and watch parties. And the result was more than $2 billion flowing through our city's economy - a win for working New Yorkers across all five boroughs."
"All summer long, sports brought an unmatched energy to New York City, and the World Cup was no exception," said New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO Anthony Shorris. "These matches brought visitors, spending and opportunity to neighborhoods across the five boroughs, supporting local businesses and the workers who power them, while showcasing New York City as the ideal place to do business. From restaurant servers and bartenders to hotel workers and small business owners, New Yorkers helped turn a global sporting event into a meaningful economic win for our city."
"Tourism is a major economic engine for New York City, creating a ripple effect that reaches far beyond the traveler's initial visit," said Nancy Mammana, Chief Marketing Officer, New York City Tourism + Conventions. "The World Cup demonstrated that in a powerful way, driving increased spending at local businesses while supporting jobs and generating economic activity across all five boroughs. Our World Cup programming, made possible by the support of the Mamdani administration, helped bring visitors into neighborhoods across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, resulting in meaningful economic impact throughout our city's communities and helping to create positive, joyous experiences to inspire visitors to return for many years to come."
Before the tournament, the NY/NJ Host Committee, using analysis from Tourism Economics, projected that the event would generate $3.3 billion in regional economic impact. Following the tournament, the updated impact for all eight matches played at New York New Jersey Stadium was estimated to be $3.5 billion, exceeding the initial projection.
Today's preliminary analysis provides new insight into how the benefits of the tournament were distributed across the region, with New York City accounting for a majority of the total economic impact and more than two-thirds of direct visitor spending. The analysis found:
- $2.0 billion in total economic impact
- $1.2 billion in direct visitor spending
- $162 million in operational spending
- 12,100 jobs supported
NYCEDC worked with Tourism Economics to calculate direct visitor and operational spending associated with the tournament, including spending by out-of-town visitors on lodging, food and beverage, retail, recreation and entertainment and transportation. The analysis also accounts for the broader economic activity generated by that spending, including purchases by businesses that supplied goods and services during the tournament and additional spending by workers and households whose incomes increased as a result of tournament-related activity.
The benefits of the tournament extended across all five boroughs. Additional analysis by NYC Tourism found that international Visa card spending increased 12% year-over-year in Manhattan, 19% in Brooklyn and 6% in Queens during the tournament. Hotel occupancy also increased by 6% in the combined Bronx and Staten Island hotel markets.
The Mamdani administration made it a priority to ensure that the World Cup belonged to all New Yorkers - not just the fans inside the stadium. Over the 39-day tournament, the City secured 1,000 affordable tickets, hosted more than 100 free watch parties across the five boroughs, streamed matches live on LinkNYC kiosks and transformed more than 50 blocks into "Soccer Streets," giving New Yorkers and visitors alike the opportunity to celebrate the tournament in their own neighborhoods.
The administration also used the tournament as an opportunity to connect New York businesses with new customers, investors and partners from around the world. While matches were underway, NYCEDC connected companies with City leadership, resources and opportunities to support investment and long-term growth. NYCEDC hosted its annual Choose NYC Summit, bringing together more than 350 attendees from 150 businesses representing 34 countries to showcase New York City as the premier place to do business. NYCEDC also organized tours of Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City, the Bronx, Union Square and Sunset Park for international organizations and businesses exploring expansion in New York City.
