JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 13: Scotland fans wear jerseys as they wait for drinks before a FIFA World Cup watch party at Scottish bar The Haven on June 13, 2026 in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mel Musto/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Boston-area hotels generated significantly more revenue during the opening two weeks of the FIFA World Cup compared to years past, even though occupancy rates remained virtually unchanged from a year ago.
The preliminary data shows that international visitors – highlighted by legions of Scotland and Norway fans – spent more than the city’s typical summer tourists.
The date, which covered June 12 through June 27, revealed that hotel occupancy rates held steady at 87%, while spending on hotel rooms and related tourism activity jumped 20%, according to Meet Boston, a marketing and visitor services organization charged with the development of tourism-related business.
The early figures offers one of the first snapshots of the World Cup’s economic impact on a host city. While the tournament’s overall financial effects remain uncertain, the city’s tourism officials said the event could provide a much-needed boost to the region’s hospitality industry at a time when international travel to the United States has softened.
“At the end of the day, there’s going to be so much activity happening in small businesses that we’re going to see a really nice bump in spending, in tax generation,” said Martha Sheridan, president and CEO of Meet Boston.
The 2026 World Cup, which concludes with the final on July 19, is co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Sixteen cities across those three nations hosted matches, which will total 104 by the time the tournament concludes.
Bank of America’s latest consumer spending analysis, which tracked card-based purchases in the tournament’s host cities, found that overall spending has increased 6.3% compared with the same period a year ago.
Overall, the North American tourism sector entered the summer facing headwinds. Canadian tourism had already declined in 2025 amid inflation and political tensions tied to President Donald Trump’s policies. At the same time, many American travelers opted to stay closer to home.
Meet Boston said the city welcomed World Cup visitors from countries including Scotland, Norway, Morocco and France, helping drive higher spending despite hotel occupancy remaining flat.
Scotland fans even drank Boston dry during the tournament’s group stage. Boston Beer Co. said supporters drank four times what the company normally stocks during a typical four-day holiday stretch like the Fourth of July.
Victor Matheson, a professor of economics and accounting at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, told Axios the figures suggest international visitors spent more per room, but may have displaced Boston’s usual summer tourists rather than adding substantially to overall visitor numbers.
The spending surge was particularly noticeable in the hospitality sector. Bars and restaurants experienced a strong boost, fueled in part by large numbers of Scottish supporters who traveled to the city for tournament matches.
Businesses that typically depend on traditional summer tourism, however, may not have seen the same benefits. Museums, theaters, concert venues and boutique retailers likely experienced less of the World Cup spending than restaurants and nightlife establishments.
Even so, local tourism officials argue the tournament is delivering new money into the regional economy rather than relying on taxpayers to stimulate business activity. These initial revenue gains are seen as an encouraging sign for the tourism industry.
Compared with other World Cup host cities, Boston also appears to have benefited from particularly strong visitor spending. According to payment platform Square, consumer spending at the city’s bars and restaurants increased more than in any other World Cup host city during the tournament’s first two weeks.
At Banners Kitchen & Tap above the TD Garden, increased food and beer sales boosted sales. Banners’ general manager Nick Moniz said the sports bar created a World Cup menu with global dishes and drinks inspired by the teams competing at the 48-nation tournament.
“We have a full dining room,” Moniz told Boston Business Journal. “It doesn’t matter if it’s 11 a.m. or 9 p.m.”
Clemente Lisi is the author of “The World Cup: A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event, 2026 Edition.”