The findings are contained in the Economic and Fiscal Impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the New York and New Jersey Region report, prepared by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company. The post-event study updated the economic model used for the original forecast with actual tournament data.
According to the study, World Cup-related activity generated approximately $1.9 billion in direct spending, supported 27,424 full- and part-time jobs and generated approximately $1.4 billion in total labour income across the two states.
The tournament was also estimated to have generated $414.2 million in state and local tax revenue.
New York and New Jersey hosted eight World Cup matches at New York New Jersey Stadium, including the FIFA World Cup Final, as well as Official Fan Events and other tournament-related programmes across New Jersey, New York City’s five boroughs and other parts of New York State.
More than 645,000 spectators attended the eight matches while an additional 626,300 non-local visitors travelled to New York or New Jersey to participate in World Cup-related activities, including regional fan events and experiences.
Match attendees and visitors participating in non-match activities generated approximately $1.7 billion in direct spending, according to the study. Operational expenditure associated with staging the tournament totalled approximately $286 million.
Lodging recorded the largest individual share of direct spending, at approximately $653 million. Food and beverage businesses received an estimated $346 million, while retail spending reached approximately $264 million.
Transportation accounted for approximately $200 million in direct expenditure, with recreation and entertainment receiving approximately $195 million.
The study calculated that the approximately $1.9 billion in direct economic activity generated an additional $693 million in indirect business activity through purchases from regional suppliers. A further $916 million was attributed to induced economic activity generated through spending by workers whose employment and income were supported by the tournament.
Combined, these direct, indirect and induced effects produced the estimated $3.5 billion total regional economic impact.
Alex Lasry, CEO of the FIFA World Cup 2026 New York New Jersey Host Committee, said: “The final numbers demonstrate that New York and New Jersey didn’t just rise to the occasion — we exceeded expectations and delivered an impact that will be felt long after the final whistle. Billions of dollars flowed through our hotels, restaurants, small businesses and communities, tens of thousands of jobs were supported, and people across the region shared in the benefits of welcoming the world. Just as importantly, the impact did not end with the Final. The investments, partnerships and global visibility created through this World Cup will continue benefiting our communities and have once again shown that there is no better place in the world to host the biggest moments in sports and culture than New York and New Jersey.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said: “Our mission was to welcome the world to New York, while making sure that every New Yorker had the chance to participate in and benefit from this once-in-a-generation event. And that’s exactly what we did. From increased spending at local businesses and restaurants to higher hotel revenues, the World Cup has left a lasting impact on our state. Here in New York, we want to continue to ensure that New Yorkers are reaping the benefits and joy of the World Cup by building more soccer infrastructure for our kids to play across the state.”
said: “This summer, we showed the very best of New Jersey to the world, and that New Jersey, with people from every corner of the globe, is the world. I am incredibly proud that we delivered an exciting, successful World Cup,” says New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. “Fans from around the world and around the Garden State took part in the biggest sporting event on the planet. We already know that hotel occupancy was up, more than 300,000 fans attended the 34 community grant events we brought to every part of the state, and state revenues exceeded expectations in July, when the tournament was here. From the first match through the World Cup Final, we showed that New Jersey has the infrastructure, workforce, diversity, and hospitality to bring people together and successfully host events of this scale. The impact reached far beyond the stadium, supporting local businesses, jobs, and economic activity across our state.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said: “We said the World Cup belonged to New Yorkers, and the numbers back it up. $3.5 billion moved through our region and more than 27,000 people got paid because of it – the cook in Sunset Park, the cab driver in Corona, the small business owner running the halal cart outside a watch party in Harlem. We proved a city can grow its economy and support working people at the same time”.
The study estimated that 27,424 jobs were supported across New York and New Jersey, including nearly 18,000 positions directly associated with tournament operations and visitor expenditure.
Food and beverage recorded the largest employment impact, with approximately 4,500 jobs supported. Transportation accounted for approximately 4,400 jobs, while lodging supported around 4,000.
The estimated employment effects generated approximately $1.4 billion in total labour income. This included approximately $792 million in direct labour income and another $580 million attributed to indirect and induced economic activity.
World Cup-related activity was estimated to have generated approximately $759 million in total federal, state and local tax revenue. Of this amount, $414.2 million went to state and local governments.
The total included approximately $174 million in sales tax revenue and nearly $39 million in bed tax revenue.
Tourism Economics conducted both pre-event and post-event analyses of the World Cup’s economic impact on the New York and New Jersey region. The initial analysis, published in July 2025, projected $3.3 billion in total economic output.
Following the tournament, the company conducted a post-event analysis in August 2026 using the same methodology while updating key model inputs to reflect actual tournament activity. The resulting estimate of $3.5 billion was approximately $200 million above the original projection.
According to the study, factors behind the difference included higher-than-projected operational spending by the Host Committee, local and federal governments and other stakeholders.
Attendance at Official Fan Events was also higher than originally forecast, although this was partially offset by a larger share of local attendees. The proportion of international spectators attending matches was higher than projected, while the share of local match attendees was also above the original assumptions.
Separately, Tourism Economics said in broader research on U.S. World Cup host cities published earlier in 2026 that economic effects from the tournament were expected to be concentrated primarily in leisure and hospitality and that much of the wider economic impact would be temporary.
World Cup-related programmes in New York and New Jersey also included investment in community football infrastructure. Seventeen community mini pitches have either been completed or are under development across the region.
Host Committee initiatives involved more than 5,000 young people through clinics, tournaments and community programmes while more than 2,000 residents of New York and New Jersey received access to matches through free and reduced-cost ticket initiatives.
The Host Committee also operated the Welcome World Rewards Program to direct World Cup-related activity towards local businesses and community destinations.
The programme generated more than 10,000 visits to participating small businesses, restaurants and destinations across New York and New Jersey, according to the Host Committee. More than 1,000 locations participated in the initiative.
Tags: Tourism Economics New York New Jersey Alex Lasry, FIFA World Cup 2026
