FIFA-nomics

For soccer fans still hoping to get in on the action, the good news is the “best available” tickets to the World Cup final are still up for grabs. The bad news is they cost roughly the same as a 2026 Ford Mustang: $32,970.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the eye-watering prices, arguing that resale is legal in the US and that underpricing tickets would simply hand profits to scalpers. He’s not wrong: FIFA’s resale marketplace currently lists four World Cup final tickets for just under $2.3 million each.

World cup, world economy

Soccer fans are getting squeezed no matter who they’re buying from, but the US economy is poised to get a major boost.

Bank of America estimates that the 2026 World Cup will engage 75% of the world’s population, while drawing 6.5 million attendees across the tournament—almost double the previous record. Economically, that could translate into roughly $41 billion added to global GDP, and support more than 800,000 jobs worldwide, including around 185,000 in the US. Historically, host nations have also seen an average 0.4 percentage-point boost in GDP growth in the year following the event.

Zooming out, the business of sports is becoming an economic force in its own right: The industry generated about $2.3 trillion in revenue globally in 2025—large enough to rank as the world’s 10th-largest economy—and is projected to grow to $3.7 trillion by 2030.

The winners off the pitch

While the broader economy stands to benefit, parts of the market could also surge as the World Cup frenzy creates winners far beyond the soccer pitch.

Analysts at Bank of America highlighted airlines as a key beneficiary of the tournament, noting that the combined air miles traveled by fans could total roughly three times the distance from Earth to the edge of the solar system. The bank also pointed to beverages, sportswear, restaurants, broadcasters, social media platforms, and online betting companies as industries positioned to cash in on the tournament-driven spending surge.

Goldman Sachs echoed that view, spotlighting several companies it believes are especially well-positioned, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Adidas, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Hyatt Hotels, and Airbnb. Over at JPMorgan, analysts underscored how higher advertising spending around the games will benefit big players like Meta and Alphabet.

Somewhere between the $33,000 tickets, packed flights, and sponsorship deals, the World Cup has become a whole economy of its own. For investors, that means the beautiful game is also shaping up to be a beautiful opportunity.—SY