The World Cup will draw millions of fans, but economic payoff is modest

The 2026 World Cup , which kicks off today , will be held across three countries and 16 cities, making it the biggest sporting event ever and a commercial bonanza. The five-week soccer tournament is expected to engage around 6 billion people globally and draw 6.5 million fans to the games. A joint FIFA and World Trade Organization (WTO) study released last year projected that the competition would boost U.S. GDP by $17.2 billion and global GDP by $40.9 billion. …