The FIFA World Cup 2026 New York New Jersey Host Committee announced that the world’s most-watched sports event produced $3.5 billion in total economic impact across the New York and New Jersey region, topping the region’s original projected impact of $3.3 billion.
The Economic and Fiscal Impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the New York and New Jersey Region report said World Cup-related activity generated about $1.9 billion in direct spending, supported 27,424 total full- and part-time jobs, generated about $1.4 billion in labor income, and spurred $414.2 million in total state and local tax revenues.
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, conducted the report.
Eight matches were held at New York New Jersey Stadium (a temporary name for MetLife Stadium), including the FIFA World Cup Final on July 19, as well as free Official Fan Events and other affiliated programming throughout New Jersey, all five New York City boroughs, and the state of New York.
More than 645,000 fans attended the region’s eight World Cup matches — 144,400 of the match attendees originated from the regional economy, while the remaining 508,000 came from other domestic or international destinations.
Another 626,300 non-local visitors traveled to New York or New Jersey to participate in World Cup-related activities, including regional fan experiences.
In total, the 1.3 million match and non-match attendees spent $1.7 billion within the regional economy.
Here is direct spending by sector:
- Hotels, motels, short-term rentals and other lodging: $652.5 million
- Full-service restaurants, fast food, convenience stores: $341.4 million
- Souvenirs, general merchandise, malls, local retailers: $263.9 million
- Airfare, taxis, public transportation, rental cars, ride-share: $199.6 million
- Amusements, theaters, entertainment: $194.7 million
The FIFA World Cup 2026 New York New Jersey Host Committee, FIFA, and other stakeholders also spent $286 million on operations, bringing the direct spending total to $1.9 billion.
The study found that the tournament supported 27,424 total jobs across New York and New Jersey, with nearly 18,000 jobs directly supported by World Cup operational and visitor spending.
Food and beverage businesses led the employment impact, supporting about 4,500 jobs, followed by transportation with approximately 4,400 total jobs and lodging with roughly 4,000 jobs.
Those employment impacts translated into approximately $1.4 billion in total labor income for workers throughout the regional economy.