After the final whistle blew on the FIFA World Cup 2026™, millions of fans returned home with unforgettable memories and a trail of economic activity that stretched across countries. Every tap to pay left a lasting impact, as spending throughout the tournament delivered a meaningful boost to merchants and local economies across host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
According to new data from Visa, the tournament drove significant growth in cross-border spending, international travel, and digital commerce across host cities. The findings show how a major global event creates “pop-up economies,” defined by Visa as temporary, highly concentrated periods of commercial activity that emerge around major cultural, entertainment and sporting events.
The data reveals that fans traveled from around the world to follow their teams, generating a surge in Visa cardholder spending across restaurants, transportation, entertainment, retail, lodging, and other sectors. From iconic host cities to emerging fan destinations, the tournament created a broad and lasting economic impact that extended well beyond stadium walls.
A Tournament of Pop-Up Economies
Visa data illustrates the scale, reach and pace of economic activity generated throughout the tournament[1]:
- Cross-border Visa transactions in FIFA World Cup 2026™ host cities increased nearly 20% year-over-year during the tournament period.
- Fans from Colombia, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Argentina, and Brazil generated the highest levels of cross-border spend across host cities.
- Santa Clara/San Jose, Boston, and Miami recorded the largest increases in in-person spending from international and domestic cardholders.
- Consumers spent most heavily on transportation and entertainment, underscoring the broad economic benefit generated by tournament tourism.
- Tap to pay transactions rose nearly 12%, reflecting fans’ preference for fast, secure and seamless payment experiences while traveling.
- Ecuador v Curaçao and Colombia v Ghana, both in Kansas City, and Croatia v Ghana in Philadelphia were examples of matches that generated the highest year-over-year uplift creating significant spending spikes before, during and after kickoff.
“This was one of the most impactful FIFA World Cup™ tournaments we’ve seen to date both on and off the pitch,” said Frank Cooper III, Chief Marketing Officer of Visa. “FIFA World Cup 2026™ demonstrated how global events can create far-reaching economic value for businesses, cities and communities. For a few precious days, entire cities came alive with new visitors, new spending and new opportunities for local businesses. Through Visa’s network, we could watch those economies emerge, move from city to city and connect millions of fans with the merchants and communities hosting the world’s biggest sporting event.”
Pop-Up Economies Reached Far Beyond the Stadium
While matches took place inside stadiums, the economic impact spread throughout local communities. Restaurants, bars, retail districts, hotels, transit systems and entertainment venues all experienced increased levels of activity as fans gathered for matches and explored host cities. Several cities achieved standout performance in specific categories[1]:
- Boston led growth in year-over-year dining transactions as fans celebrated their nations in local bars and restaurants.
- Guadalajara recorded the highest transportation spending growth as fans from around the world traveled to the stadium.
- Atlanta saw strong entertainment activity tied to fan celebrations and cultural events, while New York City experienced a surge in retail spending.
These trends demonstrate how a pop-up economy distributes opportunity across an entire host market. The benefits reach businesses directly tied to the tournament and merchants serving everyday visitor needs, from neighborhood restaurants and independent retailers to hotels, transit providers and global brands.
The Tournament Moments That Moved Markets
Some of the tournament’s most memorable moments didn’t just capture attention. They sparked waves of economic activity around the world. Norway’s surprise run to the quarterfinals generated significant increases in consumer spending and transaction activity both in the country and around the world as fans rallied behind the country. In Norway, Visa transaction volumes nearly doubled during matches. Across Norway’s tournament run, increased transaction activity was recorded across a broader set of countries with each successive match, with spending eventually rising in more than 60 countries worldwide when Norway played, demonstrating how a pop-up economy can be fueled by fan passion and engagement.[2]
Moments like this show how fan attention can translate into immediate shifts in economic activity. A major matchup, an unexpected result or a deep tournament run can quickly change travel patterns, increase demand and activate a new pop-up economy in the next destination.
From tourism and local business growth to digital payment adoption, the tournament demonstrated how shared moments of passion can drive commerce at an unprecedented scale. As fans return home, Visa’s data illustrates a lasting legacy, capturing the FIFA World Cup 2026™ as more than a single global event. It was a series of interconnected pop-up economies, each created by the movement, passion and spending of fans. Together, they generated economic opportunity across host communities and demonstrated the role seamless digital payments play in helping businesses serve global demand at speed and scale.
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.
[1] Source: Visa cardholder transactions over VisaNet. This data includes all Visa card-present volume in the U.S. and Canada as well as Visa card-present cross-border volume in Mexico compared against the same period in 2025. Date range for U.S. and Canada is between 6/11-7/19 while date range for Mexico is from 6/11-7/5.
[2] The analysis in the report was based on aggregated domestic spending data on the number of transactions at entertainment providers, retail goods merchants, specialty food and grocers, quick-service restaurants, full-service restaurants, bars and cafes. The lift is calculated by taking the volume of Visa transactions that occurred during a 12-hour period before and after a match started and comparing it against a comparable typical day of the week and time of day for each country included in the analysis in late May and early June before the FIFA World Cup™ started.
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