FIFA World Cup Draws 7 Million Fans, Generates $40 Billion

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 23

Nearly 7 million spectators attended the 2026 World Cup’s 104 matches, setting a tournament record as FIFA said venues were 99.7% full through the semifinals.
Bank of America estimated the event generated about $40 billion in global economic activity, including roughly $20 billion in the United States, with host-city spending strongest at hotels, restaurants, bars and stores.
63 million U.S. viewers watched the Spain-Argentina final across Fox, Telemundo and Peacock; tournament averages jumped 116% on Fox to 7.74 million and 143% on Telemundo to 6.3 million.
Houston logged more than 439,000 international airport arrivals during the tournament and nearly 15% hotel-revenue growth, while visitors interviewed by Axios praised the city’s hospitality, food and diversity.
A U.S. Travel Association survey of 2,205 adults found 81% felt proud seeing visitors enjoy America and 70% backed hosting more global events, undercutting pre-tournament warnings that the U.S. would project hostility.