The 2026 FIFA World Cup officially begins Thursday with the opening match in Mexico City, launching a 104-game tournament across 16 host cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico that runs through the July 19 final.

Eleven of those cities are in the U.S., and economists are already tallying the payoff for the American economy.

Bank of America thinks the tournament is worth real money. Citing research firm OpenEconomics, the bank estimates the event could add about 0.6% to U.S. GDP and 0.4% to global GDP this year.

Bank of America economist Stephen Juneau called it "another tailwind" for the U.S. economy, and one more reason to expect near-term inflation to prove more persistent, he said in a note.

How Much Growth Does The World Cup Bring?

OpenEconomics produced its own report for FIFA and the World Trade Organization. It projects $40.9 billion in added global GDP, $20.8 billion in labor earnings and 824,000 full-time-equivalent jobs worldwide.

The firm pegs the social-benefit value above $8.28 billion, a global social return on investment of 3.64.

In the U.S. alone, it forecasts 5.2 million in attendance, including 1.2 million international visitors. That crowd should generate $11.1 billion in direct spending on tickets, travel, lodging, food and retail.

The Boost May Already Be In The Data

Part of the lift may have already landed.

May nonfarm payrolls surprised to the upside at 172,000. Bank of America's economists tied much of that strength to temporary factors around the tournament and seasonal noise.

The gains were "heavily concentrated in the leisure & hospitality" sector and non-education local government, consistent with early World Cup hiring or seasonal quirks tied to this year's Memorial Day timing, analyst Shruti Mishra said.

All told, the bank estimated those sectors added roughly 60,000 to 100,000 jobs above trend last month.

Strip out the World Cup and the seasonal effects, and underlying job growth looks closer to 60,000 to 90,000. That is still well above the roughly 20,000 "breakeven" pace, and points to a labor market that has bottomed rather than rolled over.

Nonfarm payrolls are now averaging about 92,000 over the past six months and roughly 190,000 over the past three, helped by 93,000 in upward revisions to March and April.

Sectors In The Spotlight

For investors, the tournament funnels spending into a handful of identifiable channels.

Travel and airlines stand to capture much of the 1.2 million international arrivals. Carriers such as Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL), United Airlines Holdings Inc. (UAL) and American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) are exposed to the surge across host cities.

Lodging flows to operators including Marriott International Inc. (MAR) and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT).

Payment networks Visa Inc. (V) and Mastercard Inc. (MA) process the cross-border spending.

Media exposure runs through Fox Corp. (FOXA), which holds U.S. English-language broadcast rights, and Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), whose Telemundo carries the Spanish-language coverage.

The betting wave should lift sportsbooks DraftKings Inc. (DKNG) and Flutter Entertainment plc (FLUT), alongside rideshare and delivery names Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER) and DoorDash Inc. (DASH).

Whether the math lands at 0.4% or 0.6%, Wall Street's message is consistent. The world's biggest sporting event is a real, if temporary, jolt to U.S. activity. It adds to growth, muddies the inflation picture and hands the Federal Reserve one more variable to weigh into the back half of 2026.