When the U.S. last hosted the World Cup in 1994, the event drew unexpectedly large crowds. At that time, soccer wasn’t as popular among Americans as it is now, so expectations for attendance had been fairly low.
So as the U.S. prepared to host the World Cup again in 2026, expectations for tourism were high.
But in the run-up to this year’s World Cup, the ongoing war in Iran has resulted in soaring inflation and high fuel prices, neither of which bodes well for tourism or event attendance…