World Cup Delivered $2 Billion Economic Boost to New York City—and a Win for STRs

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 acr...