If the economic impact of the 2024 Copa América Games is any indication, Seattle should prepare itself for an outright economic onslaught while hosting several 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.

Data firm Placer.ai — which measures, among other things, foot traffic — says in a special white paper that the 2024 Copa América “provides a prime example of the effect sports tourism” can have on local economies. The worldwide soccer tournament isn’t as big as the World Cup, but 32 matches at 14 host cities across the United States last summer significantly boosted the hospitality industry across the country.

In Arlington, Texas, for example, hotel traffic spiked 23% above average. Orlando, Fla., and Kansas City also experienced major bumps. The games attracted fans (including those from Washington state, the report notes) from across the country, especially those with higher household incomes. In other words, they were ready to spend.

On the day the tourney began last June, for instance, 26.1% of visitors to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium came from more than 250 miles away. The city’s upper midscale hotel chains (think Hampton Inn, or Fairfield Inn) enjoyed an especially busy week, as did (to a lesser extent) luxury and economy hotels. The report says that cities such as Seattle hosting major sporting events can draw on historical data to better understand the needs and preferences of visitors.

Seattle has been gearing up for the World Cup for years, and was selected as one of 16 cities chosen across the United States, Canada, and Mexico back in 2022. Visit Seattle projects that the six matches at Lumen Field in June and July 2026 will generate at least $929 million, including more than $100 million in direct state and local tax revenue. The study by Tourism Economics also says the event will create 20,767 full- and part-time jobs.

“We’re committed to spreading the nearly billion-dollar economic boost from FIFA World Cup 26 to uplift local businesses and workers,” April Putney, chief strategy officer for local organizing group SeattleFWC26, said in December. “Our team is particularly focused on partnering with neighborhood business improvement areas to support small businesses in Pioneer Square, Chinatown-International District, and SODO.”

The first FIFA World Cup Seattle match won’t be held until June 15, 2026. That seems a ways off, but the economic jockeying is well underway.