Mamdani: the 2026 World Cup generated two billion dollars for New York’s economy

This year’s football World Cup generated an economic impact of around $2 billion for New York City, according to a preliminary analysis by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

According to the data, activities linked to the tournament created more than 12,000 jobs, while the sectors that benefited most were gastronomy, hospitality and retail.

Direct visitor spending and the operating costs of staging the matches in New York reached around $1.3 billion.

Across the wider New York and New Jersey metropolitan area, the economic impact of the eight matches played at MetLife Stadium reached around $3.5 billion.

New York accounted for around 56% of the region’s total economic activity. The influx of fans also affected local businesses.

Traffic at the city’s sports bars rose by 16% compared with the same period a year earlier.

According to analysis by the tourism organisation NYC Tourism + Conventions, during the World Cup international Visa card spending rose by 12% in Manhattan, 19% in Brooklyn and 6% in Queens.

Meanwhile, hotel occupancy levels rose by 6% in both Staten Island and the Bronx.

Mamdani said the organisers aimed for the tournament’s economic benefits not to be limited to the stadiums, but to reach local businesses and workers as well, including grocery stores, taxis, restaurants and other services.