The 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered an estimated $2 billion economic boost to New York City this summer, as more than $1 billion in visitor spending flowed into hotels, restaurants, shops, and other businesses across the five boroughs.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the figure Wednesday, offering the clearest accounting yet of how much the Big Apple gained from a tournament during which eight local matches—including the final—were played across the Hudson River at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

New York City captured more than half (roughly 56%) of the $3.5 billion in economic activity generated across the New York-New Jersey region and 70% of its visitor spending, according to an analysis conducted by NYCEDC and Tourism Economics.

In all, the regional total surpassed the $3.3 billion that organizers had projected before the tournament.

For New York City alone, visitors spent about $1.2 billion, while another $162 million came from tournament-related operational spending. Together, that activity supported an estimated 12,100 jobs in hospitality, food service, retail, and other industries, according to the city.

“These matches brought visitors, spending and opportunity to neighborhoods across the five boroughs, supporting local businesses and the workers who power them, while showcasing New York City as the ideal place to do business,” said Anthony Shorris, president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

“From restaurant servers and bartenders to hotel workers and small business owners, New Yorkers helped turn a global sporting event into a meaningful economic win for our city,” he added.

The World Cup gave rentals a boost

But the biggest winner may have been the short-term rental market.

After 13 consecutive months of year-over-year declines, international demand for short-term rentals in World Cup host cities jumped 9.4% in June during the tournament’s group stage, according to AirDNA.

Across all host markets, short-term rentals on Airbnb and other platforms generated $1.33 billion in revenue during the tournament—more than a quarter-billion dollars above what those markets generated over the same period a year earlier.

The greater New York market, including Jersey City and Newark, captured about $23 million in short-term rental revenue, putting it among the tournament’s highest-grossing markets.

That lodging demand was part of a much larger tourism surge.

“Tourism is a major economic engine for New York City, creating a ripple effect that reaches far beyond the traveler’s initial visit,” said Nancy Mammana, chief marketing officer of New York City Tourism + Conventions.

“The World Cup demonstrated that in a powerful way, driving increased spending at local businesses while supporting jobs and generating economic activity across all five boroughs.”

International Visa card spending rose 19% year over year in Brooklyn, 12% in Manhattan, and 6% in Queens during the tournament, while combined hotel occupancy in the Bronx and Staten Island rose 6%, according to the city’s analysis. Foot traffic at New York sports bars was also up 16% from a year earlier.

“If the best things in life are free, so too should the World Cup fan experience,” Mamdani said in April, announcing efforts to make the tournament more accessible to everyday New Yorkers. “These events were not initially set to be free, but the world’s game should belong to the world.”Getty Images for Global CitizenA multibillion-dollar win—with a steep price of admission

But the billions of dollars pouring into the region did not mean the World Cup was enjoyed equally by all.

Previous reporting from Realtor.com® found that the cheapest ticket to the World Cup final cost more than the typical New York homeowner’s monthly mortgage payment.

With the average monthly mortgage payment at $4,096 and average monthly rent at $4,872, a single ticket in the cheapest seats amounted to about 1.77 months of mortgage payments or 1.49 months of rent.

Even getting to the stadium was a flashpoint.

NJ Transit initially planned to charge $150 round trip from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium for World Cup matches—a journey that normally cost $12.90—saying it faced at least $48 million in additional expenses for expanded service, security and other tournament operations. 

The proposal drew criticism from elected officials and FIFA, and the fare was eventually reduced to $98 after advertising revenue helped offset the expense.

A separate stadium shuttle from Manhattan was initially priced at $80 round trip before New York state and the host committee reduced it to $20, with 20% of tickets reserved for New York residents.

In response to the backlash, city and state officials also pushed to create cheaper ways for residents to participate without paying market-rate ticket prices.

The Mamdani administration secured 1,000 World Cup tickets for New Yorkers at $50 each, including free round-trip transportation; helped organize more than 100 free watch parties across the five boroughs; streamed matches on LinkNYC kiosks; and transformed more than 50 blocks into temporary “Soccer Streets.”

“This summer, we proved that the people’s game can still belong to the people—to the deli owners, cab drivers and line cooks who welcomed visitors from around the globe to New York City and powered the World Cup,” Mamdani said Wednesday.

“We didn’t want the benefits of this tournament to stop at the stadium gates,” he added. “We worked to bring fans into our neighborhoods, onto our blocks and into our local bars, restaurants and watch parties. And the result was more than $2 billion flowing through our city’s economy—a win for working New Yorkers across all five boroughs.”