BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK

The FIFA World Cup 2026 could generate up to US$20 billion in economic impact for the United States, according to Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan, who says the tournament has delivered a major boost to spending in host cities across North America.

Speaking to CBS News in an interview with Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final, Moynihan said the month-long tournament has stimulated consumer spending well beyond the stadiums, benefiting restaurants, bars, hotels and local businesses in host communities.

“The total economic activity generated around FIFA is close to US$40 billion, with about US$20 billion of that occurring in the United States,” Moynihan said, noting that host cities have consistently outperformed non-host cities in consumer spending during the tournament.

He pointed to cities such as Kansas City as examples where spending and economic growth accelerated faster than elsewhere as hundreds of thousands of football fans flocked to matches and fan festivals.

Bank of America, one of FIFA’s global partners, has been tracking consumer spending throughout the tournament using anonymised credit and debit card data.

The bank’s research has shown that all 11 U.S. host cities experienced year-on-year increases in spending, with the biggest gains driven by visitors from outside the host regions.

According to the bank, spending by non-local visitors rose significantly during the World Cup, reflecting increased tourism and higher expenditure on hospitality, entertainment and retail.

Moynihan also dismissed pre-tournament concerns over ticket demand, noting the extraordinary global appetite for the competition.

“There were about 500 million ticket requests, demonstrating the enormous worldwide interest in the tournament,” he said.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, has been the largest edition in the tournament’s history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches.

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The World Cup left stadiums packed and millions of fans euphoric in Mexico, but failed to lift a sluggish economy weighed down ​by weak investment and uncertainty over the upcoming review of the North ‌American trade agreement (USMCA).

The tournament, which ends Sunday after more than a month of matches across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, had Mexico host 13 of 104 games. However, it fell short ​of ambitious official tourism targets aimed at boosting gross domestic product (GDP), which contracted ​in the first quarter.

“The World Cup will not structurally change the ⁠trajectory of the Mexican economy,” said Humberto Calzada, chief economist at Rankia.

Calzada noted the ​tournament offers only a short-term stimulus for an economy the government expects to grow ​between 1.8% and 2.8% this year, compared to analysts’ forecasts of 1.1%.

The economic impact was highly localised. Banorte lowered its estimate of the World Cup’s GDP contribution to 0.4%-0.5%, down from a previous ​forecast of up to 0.62%.

Banamex calculated the total economic impact at $2 billion — about 0.1% ​of GDP and less than half of the $5.6 billion Mexico received in remittances in May alone.

Deloitte ‌projected ⁠the competition created 100,000 temporary jobs, 10% fewer than its previous estimate. Meanwhile, BBVA reported its household consumption indicator fell 0.2% month-on-month in June, with spending on hotels down 10.5% and restaurants down 4.9%, despite a 16.5% spike in entertainment.

The benefits were uneven ​across the host cities ​of Mexico City, ⁠Guadalajara, and Monterrey. The Mexican Restaurant Association reported that half of its establishments performed worse than in a typical week due ​to low hotel occupancy and local protests in the capital.

Air travel ​data was ⁠also mixed. Passenger traffic rose slightly in June in Guadalajara and Monterrey but fell at Mexico City’s main airport.

Analysts say the main driver of the Mexican economy remains outside ⁠the stadiums: ​trade certainty under the USMCA.

With companies holding back ​investment ahead of the trade pact’s review, and the economy contracting 0.6% in the first quarter, the IMF ​recently trimmed Mexico’s growth forecast to 1.2% from 1.6%.

-Reuters

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FIFA staged a spectacular countdown activation at New York City’s iconic Grand Central Terminal on Sunday, transforming one of the world’s busiest transport hubs into a celebration of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Final and its global reach.

Timed to coincide with the kick-off of the tournament’s showpiece match, FIFA reprogrammed the terminal’s legendary departure boards to display the kick-off time across all 48 participating nations, highlighting how one football match in New York and New Jersey would be experienced simultaneously around the world.

At exactly 3:00 p.m. EDT, Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić will blow the whistle to begin the final, officially launching what FIFA has described as the biggest match in football history.

The bespoke installation underscored the unique global appeal of the FIFA World Cup, illustrating how fans from every continent would be united by a single sporting moment despite living in different time zones.

For more than a century, Grand Central Terminal’s famous four-faced clock has served as a symbol of time, travel and human connection, welcoming millions of visitors from around the world. FIFA said the landmark provided the perfect setting to celebrate a final that will likewise connect billions of viewers worldwide.

The activation also paid tribute to the New York New Jersey region, which hosts the 2026 World Cup final following a tournament jointly staged by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

By replacing conventional train departure information with kick-off times from the 48 competing nations, FIFA created a powerful visual reminder that while supporters would watch the match at different hours—from morning in some countries to late evening or the early hours in others—they would all witness the same historic occasion together.

The Grand Central display forms part of FIFA’s celebrations surrounding the World Cup final, reinforcing the tournament’s status as football’s biggest global event and emphasizing the unifying power of the game as billions of fans prepare to watch the champions crowned in New York New Jersey.

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