FIFA World Cup 2026 Forecast to Drive $41 Billion Boost in Global GDP

UBS highlights football’s booming industry as billions of fans worldwide turn the tournament into a driver of investment and financial growth.

A figure that dazzles

The start of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada will not only mark a month of football passion but also a planetary-scale economic phenomenon. According to a study by the Swiss bank UBS, the tournament could contribute around 41 billion dollars to the global GDP, a figure that reflects how football has established itself as one of the most influential industries in sports and entertainment.

Transformation

The report, prepared by UBS's wealth management department, highlights that football is transforming into an increasingly institutionalized, diversified, and attractive sector for investment, with hundreds of millions of practitioners and a reach that surpasses any other discipline. It is no coincidence that it is estimated that 6 billion people, or three out of four inhabitants of the planet, will follow the tournament that begins this Thursday.

La estrella del Barcelona es la gran ausencia de La Roja, una de las favoritas al título. ¿Llegará a tiempo o los se las arreglarán los españoles?

Property models

UBS also emphasizes the evolution of ownership models in football, with a growing presence of institutional capital, minority stakes, and more complex financial structures. This change reflects how the sport has stopped relying exclusively on its traditional sources of income, to become a fertile ground for investment funds and global conglomerates.

In business terms, the numbers are striking, the 20 clubs with the highest revenue reached a record 14.3 billion dollars in the 2024/25 season, representing an annual increase of 11%. This growth confirms that football is not only a spectacle but also a financial machine that expands year after year.