On June 11, the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off, considered the largest sporting event in the world. This year's tournament will be unprecedented in scale. For the first time, it will be held across three countries—the United States, Mexico, and Canada—in 16 cities. The tournament will feature 48 teams playing 104 matches over 39 days. The opening match will take place in Mexico City, and the final will be held on July 19 in New York, USA.
Such a massive event involves big money—the host countries have spent billions on organizing the championship and plan to profit from fans around the world.
Finam reports how much the World Cup host countries have spent, how much they plan to earn, and what impact the tournament will have on their economies.
How Much Have the Host Countries Spent on Organizing the Championship?
According to a Goaleconomy study, 6.5 million fans from around the world will attend the 2026 World Cup. The total expenditure across all three countries related to organization, security, and other costs is estimated at $13.9 billion.
Unlike Brazil, which required massive construction and stadium renovation for the 2014 World Cup, the 2026 tournament will rely on existing large-scale sports facilities in all three countries. This has reduced financial risks associated with new construction of venues that may have limited use after the tournament ends.
The Dynamic Ticket Pricing Scandal
One of the main scandals surrounding the 2026 World Cup has been the introduction of dynamic ticket pricing for matches for the first time. This was never done before. At previous World Cups, prices were fixed. FIFA divided tickets into predetermined categories, and all group stage match tickets cost the same regardless of location or participating teams.
This year, FIFA began using dynamic pricing, following the example of hotels and airlines that set different prices at different times based on demand.
FIFA set high ticket prices from the start, knowing that millions of fans would compete for a limited number of tickets. For the six to seven million available tickets, 500 million requests were submitted. As a result, one day before the tournament began in the US, Canada, and Mexico, tens of thousands of tickets were still available on FIFA's official website. Another approximately 175,000 tickets are available on the official resale marketplace.
Football Supporters Europe, an organization uniting fans, stated that ticket prices for 2026 matches are seven times higher than prices for 2022 matches in Qatar. Organization representatives called this significant price surge extortion and a betrayal of fans.
Ticket prices vary widely and change not only day to day but sometimes hour by hour. For some matches, tickets could be purchased for $60, while others cost $800. Tickets for the most expensive final match are no longer available on FIFA's website, but on Ticketmaster they start at approximately $9,200 per ticket and reach astronomical prices of $43,553.
How Much Will the USA, Canada, and Mexico Earn from the Tournament?
The host countries, FIFA itself, and companies serving fans expect to make huge profits.
According to a Bank of America report based on FIFA and World Trade Organization research, the 2026 World Cup could generate $41 billion for the global economy.
Tournament revenues in the United States are expected to exceed $17 billion. As a result of hosting the world's largest sporting event, approximately 185,000 jobs will be created in America.
Canada will benefit by 3.88 billion Canadian dollars. The tournament will create 24,000 new jobs in the country.
Mexico's revenues from the World Cup are estimated at $2.57 billion, with 105,000 jobs created in the country.
According to Sports Illustrated, FIFA's revenues will come from three sources: $3.9 billion from broadcasting rights, $3 billion from ticket and hospitality sales, and $2.8 billion from sponsorship and marketing activities.
In total, FIFA will earn nearly $10 billion. For comparison, the 2024 Paris Olympics generated the second-largest sum at $5.24 billion.
Why Will the World Cup Have Limited Impact on Host Countries' Economies?
Despite fairly high projected revenues, experts believe the World Cup will have limited impact on the economies of host countries. Pierfrancesco Mei, an analyst at Goldman Sachs, after studying data from previous World Cups, concluded that the economic consequences of major sporting events tend to be short-lived and disappear within a few months after they end.
For example, during the 1994 World Cup in the USA, employment in host cities increased by 80,000 people compared to the trend, and during the previous Summer Olympics, it increased by 40,000 people, after which in both cases everything returned to trend. Growth was concentrated in leisure and hospitality, retail, and transportation, but after the event, demand fell again and employment returned to previous levels.
Overall, Goldman Sachs analysts expect moderate annual GDP growth in the US of 0.1% in the second quarter and 0.05% in the third quarter, which should then be followed by a slight slowdown in the fourth quarter of 2026.
However, of course, there will be beneficiaries of the World Cup in all countries' economies. For example, beer manufacturers. According to Jefferies analysts' forecasts, the tournament will increase global beer consumption by 568 million liters from June to July.
Barclays strategists note that in past World Cups, sales volumes in host cities increased by 2.5-9.9%. During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, AB InBev sold an additional 140 million liters of beer.
