- While ticket costs have been criticized, the 2026 World Cup is still expected to be an economic bonanza.
- Bank of America expects it to add $41 billion to global GDP, and create 800,000 jobs.
- Detailed below are some stock tips tied to the industries poised to benefit most.
At a national level, the vibes around the 2026 World Cup are not great right now.
Ticket prices are by far the highest in history. Many fans who went through the lottery process feel misled about where their seats ended up. And public transit costs are being hiked into the $80-to-$100 range for some major stadiums.
But from a more zoomed-out view, the World Cup is expected to be an economic bonanza. Hundreds of thousands of fans will be paying handsome sums across 16 cities to attend games. They'll be flying in, staying in hotels, consuming concessions, buying merch, and gambling on their phones. A wide range of industries will get a boost, as will the labor market.
Here are 5 stats — courtesy of the thematic-investing team at Bank of America — that encapsulate the immense economic scope of the World Cup. They're arranged in descending order of size.
- $2.3 trillion — The amount of revenue the global sports industry generated in 2025, making it the world's 10th-largest economy. The figure is expected to reach $3.7 trillion by 2030.
- $41 billion — How much the World Cup is seen adding to global GDP.
- 800,000 — The number of jobs expected to be created, with the US accounting for roughly 185,000 of them.
- 90 — How many petabytes of data from the tournament is expected to be collected, 45 times more than the last World Cup in 2022.
- 7% — The share of global internet traffic the World Cup final on July 19 will consume, up from 4% to 5% for the 2022 championship match. BofA says it will be an "unprecedented strain" on the internet.
Long story short, the economic stakes are high, and the amount of commerce taking place will be staggering. So what can you do as an investor? Even if tickets are too pricey, you can still fight back by buying stocks poised to benefit from the whole spectacle.
BofA put together a comprehensive list of the most positively impacted industries: beverages, sportswear, restaurants, broadcasting, social media, and online betting.
Goldman Sachs took it one step further and identified corresponding buy-rated stocks. Here's what they recommend ahead of the tournament:
- Beer makers — The firm has buy ratings on: Anheuser-Busch InBev, Constellation Brands, Molson Coors, Heineken, and Carlsberg.
- Athletic apparel makers — Goldman's top pick is Adidas, the official World Cup sponsor. It also suggests Puma, which has a buy rating.
- Sports retail — Academy Sports and Outdoors and Dick's Sporting Goods stand to get the biggest boost in this category, Goldman says.
- Lodging and travel — The firm's buy-rated stocks here are Hyatt Hotels, Marriott, and Hilton.
Of course, none of this sheds any light on which team will win the tournament. BofA asked Microsoft Copilot, which picked France as the most likely victor, with Spain as runner-up. That's right in line with betting odds and prediction markets.
The firm also surveyed 65 people in its research department, and they picked Japan, Norway, and Morocco as the teams most likely to surprise. No mention of the US! Oh ye of little faith.
The post An investor's guide to the 2026 World Cup mega-economy appeared first on Business Insider
