New York and New Jersey officials are expecting to score a $3.3 billion boost when the World Cup soccer tournament returns to the US next year for the first time in more than three decades, according to a report released Monday.
MeLlife Stadium, home of the Jets and Giants in East Rutherford, NJ, will host eight matches, including the final — which are projected to generate $1.3 billion in total labor income and $1.7 billion in spending by attendees and fans flocking to metropolitan area, according to the report by the NY/NJ Host Committee.
The expanded 48-team tournament, which run from June 11 to July 19, is expected to be the most highly attended in FIFA history — with an estimated 6 million fans converging on host cities in the US, Canada and Mexico.
More than 1.2 million tourists are expected to travel to the New York-New Jersey region for the games, according to the report, which was co-authored by Tourism Economics, a peer-reviewed journal owned by Oxford Economics.
“It’s a legacy-defining opportunity to create lasting economic and social impact for New York and New Jersey,” Alex Lasry, CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee, said in a statement.
“From record tourism and global visibility to local investment and job creation, this tournament will help shape the future of our region.”
More than 26,000 jobs will be created across New York and New Jersey to support the games, the report said.
Other US host cities include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Bay Area, and Seattle.
The host states will also enjoy an additional $432 million in state and local tax revenues, according to the analysis.
President Trump has hinted that he has high hopes for next year’s event, even as his hefty tariffs have heightened tensions with foreign countries.
“Tensions are a good thing,” Trump said during a FIFA task force meeting at the White House earlier this year when asked how his policies could affect the World Cup.
“It’ll make it more exciting,” he added.
The US last hosted the world’s premiere soccer tournament in 1994.
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