Topline
U.S. tourism is expecting a World Cup boon in 2026—but President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to pull games from Democrat-run cities is adding uncertainty for travelers and the economy.
President Donald Trump speaks as (L-R) Homeland Security Kristi Noem, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Secretary of State Marco Rubio listen during a meeting with the World Cup Task Force on Monday. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski)
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
The U.S. tourism industry is counting on the World Cup for a much-needed revenue boost in 2026, following a marked decline of international visitors in 2025.
During an Oval Office press conference Monday, Trump repeated threats to have the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) pull games from Democratic-run cities slated to host World Cup games next summer, saying the governors and mayors “are going to have to behave.”
Trump targeted Seattle’s newly elected democratic socialist mayor, asking FIFA president Gianni Infantino, “How close are you going to be watching that city with the crime in the city?”
Seattle Sports Commission president and CEO Beth Knox said the city is “confident the matches will proceed in Seattle as planned” in a statement to The Seattle Times on Wednesday.
The 16 North American host cities—11 in the US, three in Mexico and two in Canada—are contracted with FIFA and are selling sponsorship packages.
As of Wednesday, two of the 12 countries on Trump’s travel ban list—Iran and Haiti—have already qualified for the World Cup and one more—the Republic of the Congo—could yet qualify, leaving fans prohibited from traveling to the US to watch their teams.
How Much Is The World Cup Expected To Boost The Us Economy?
The World Cup is projected to drive $30.5 billion in economic output and create 185,000 jobs in the U.S. next year, according to an analysis from FIFA and OpenEconomics . According to the report, roughly 40% of the estimated 6.5 million tournament attendees will be international fans who will stay for an average 12 days, buy two tickets per person and spend about $416 daily. FIFA has advised World Cup host cities to expect a 50/50 split between domestic and international visitors, tourism officials from Philadelphia and Kansas City, two World Cup host cities, told Forbes. But Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics, projects the U.S. will see only 1.24 million international visitors for the tournament—less than half of FIFA’s projection. Nevertheless, the tourism analytics firm expects the event to help reverse a dramatic 6.3% downturn in inbound international tourism since Trump took office, driven mainly by his tariffs, America First rhetoric and immigration policies. Tourism Economics projects international visitation to rebound 3.7% next year, with nearly one-third of that growth tied directly to the World Cup. While tourism officials are generally optimistic about the potential for a World Cup boon, some have expressed concern that Trump’s rhetoric and policies will inevitably turn off some international soccer fans. “The rhetoric from the administration against anything non-U.S. is just pretty prevalent,” Jan Freitag, national director of hospitality analytics at CoStar Group, said last month. “I think some people will say, ‘Look, if I’m from Europe and the next World Cup is in Europe, then maybe I’ll sit this one out.’”
