Five billion. A number that represents both the predicted economic impact on North America in U.S. dollars and the expected number of global viewers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (CNN, The New York Times). Which makes for one tremendous opportunity for North American destinations and travel brands.
With an estimated 5 million travelers coming to North America to catch one (or more) of the 104 matches in 16 cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the impact of this event will be felt around the world. As FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, “A World Cup is 104 Super Bowls.”
The average expected spend from a European traveler to catch a match in 2026 is over $5,000. And they’re not looking to simply attend a game and go home. These travelers want to make the most of their trip overseas and experience more of what the host city – and surrounding areas – have to offer.
“This is more than just the world’s biggest sporting event,” says Sam Hancock, MMGY’s Deputy Managing Director and SVP of Media and Creative for the EMEA. “It’s an enormous opportunity for cultural discovery. Our latest Portrait of European Travellers™ shows that nearly 1 in 4 Europeans plan to travel for the tournament – and of those, almost half are Gen Zers. Sport is increasingly becoming a gateway to deeper, more authentic experiences, and travelers will turn match attendance into multidestination journeys that blend passion for sport with curiosity for local culture.”
What other activities are you planning during your trip to a World Cup match?
Source: MMGY’s 2025 Portrait of European Travellers™
Thirty-five percent of European visitors want to explore outside of a host city, and roughly the same amount want to roam even further in the host country for leisure travel – and this doesn’t take into account other international traveler statistics. This means that even if your city isn’t hosting a match or near a host city, there are still 1.8 million travelers looking for places to explore.
Will your destination be one of them?
Capturing the Crowd
The travelers coming to North America for these games are incredibly diverse, representing dozens of nationalities, interests, demographics and desires. As of Oct. 16, more than 1 million tickets had been sold to fans in 212 countries (FIFA). Finding your audience within the larger crowd requires data-backed precision so you make the most of your marketing budget.
GWI x MMGY World Soccer Fan Personas
Codeveloped with GWI, a global consumer research company, we created nine country-based soccer fan personas to help your brand reach the right crowd of incoming travelers. MMGY’s traveler expertise and GWI’s data came together to create travel-centric behavioral models that shaped each customized persona. So when marketers deploy campaigns to these audiences, they’ll be speaking directly to travelers who are looking to both catch a match and explore more of what the host city – or country – has to offer them.
Set to be among the largest sporting events the world has ever seen, there’s a lot to play for. And travel brands who find their audience and take control of the pitch will seize the moment.
For more information about world soccer fan personas and programmatic media activation, email [email protected].
