Post-World Cup, Can Host Cities Realize Long-Term Social Impact?

The 2026 World Cup, projected to generate nearly $11 billion in revenue for FIFA, has concluded, leaving 16 host cities across Canada, the United States, and Mexico to assess their return on investment. While these cities facilitated the tournament's financial success through infrastructure and services, they received little direct revenue from FIFA, which plans to reinvest its earnings into global soccer development. FIFA had claimed that hosting would financially benefit cities through job creation and tourist spending, citing a 2025 study projecting $30 billion in economic impact for the U.S. alone.

However, reports indicate that host cities may not have experienced significant tourism increases, and sport economists have long argued that the economic benefits of mega-sports events often fail to offset substantial expenditures. The primary question now is whether these cities can achieve longer-term returns that justify their considerable public investments, particularly in the realm of social impact.

Sport management scholars suggest that the key to realizing such returns lies in intangible social outcomes. These outcomes, collectively termed "social impact," encompass benefits that extend beyond immediate financial gains. The focus shifts from direct revenue to the lasting effects on communities, infrastructure, and social cohesion that hosting a global event can potentially foster.

While the economic projections offered by FIFA provided an optimistic outlook, the reality for host cities often involves a complex interplay of costs and benefits. The success of the 2026 World Cup for these cities will ultimately be measured not just by the dollars spent and earned, but by the enduring social legacy they can cultivate from the event.