Boston Posts 15% Spending Jump and 237% Hotel-Stay Surge During 2026 World Cup

1 articles · Updated · The Boston Globe · Jul 17

Visa data showed Boston spending rose 15% from June 13-26, with some match days up as much as 45% from a year earlier as the World Cup turned the city into a 27-day festival.
Hotels captured much of that influx: stays jumped 237% the day before the first group match versus the 2026 daily average, while prices climbed 35% from the same period last year.
Boston Stadium sold out all 7 matches for 447,283 fans, and about 160,000 people from 108 countries visited the FIFA Fan Festival near City Hall.
Beer sales in Massachusetts rose 12% in the tournament’s first two weeks—the biggest gain among 11 US host markets—while bars and restaurants logged more than 27% higher on-site sales.
The event also widened soccer’s cultural footprint in Boston, with World Cup-related Google searches topping historical peaks for the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics and Tinder activity from out-of-town users rising as much as 47%.