Story perspectives

World Cup Opens in Mexico City, $80B Economic Surge

6/10/2026

Summary

World Cup Opens

2026 FIFA World Cup opened on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City with Mexico vs South Africa.
Forty-eight teams will play 104 matches at 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Fox holds English broadcast rights in the United States while Telemundo will air all matches in Spanish.
The WTO projects $80.1 billion gross output ($30.5 billion in the U.S.) and FIFA expects $13 billion revenue, including $9 billion in 2026.

Summary

Messi Drives Viewership

Soccer star Lionel Messi’s 2023 Inter Miami debut lifted Leagues Cup linear viewership by 173 percent.
North America’s soccer fan base grew 10.9 percent to over 136 million in five years.
MLS Cup viewership rose 97 percent after Inter Miami’s 2024 championship win.
The United States holds the fourth-largest global soccer audience with 62.5 million followers.
Seventy-six percent of U.S. fans are Millennials or Gen Z, with female engagement exceeding Europe’s.

History

Historical Context

After FIFA awarded the 1994 World Cup to the United States on July 4 1988, the tournament set a record 3,587,538 spectators and spurred the creation of Major League Soccer in 1993. That surge in American interest laid the groundwork for the upcoming 2026 tournament, which builds on the legacy of Brazil’s 1994 victory.

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World Cup Opens

2026 FIFA World Cup opened on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City with Mexico vs South Africa.
Forty-eight teams will play 104 matches at 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Fox holds English broadcast rights in the United States while Telemundo will air all matches in Spanish.
The WTO projects $80.1 billion gross output ($30.5 billion in the U.S.) and FIFA expects $13 billion revenue, including $9 billion in 2026.

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