There are a lot of parallels between the biggest business trends and the top teams in the tournament

The expected travel boom from the World Cup is looking like it will be a city-by-city, match-by-match test of pricing power.

The green, white and red colors of the Mexican flag are blanketing parts of Mexico City as the country’s capital gets ready to host the opening match of the World Cup this Thursday.

The FIFA World Cup is projected to bring $892 million in increased spending to Los Angeles County. With slower than expected hotel bookings and dropping ticket prices, will that estimate hold?

Excitement about a World Cup on home soil has been a major driver of business momentum for U.S. Soccer, but the federation wouldn’t have been positioned to seize the moment without a complete overhaul of its commercial and fundraising functions over the past several years.

Affordable options are driving bookings for short-term rental platforms, however. Theo Keith with Airbnb noted that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to become the "biggest hosting event in Airbnb's 18-year history".

At a time of sluggish growth, betting sites like FanDuel and DraftKings are counting on the global soccer tournament to boost online sports gambling.

The first World Cup teams to face off in Boston are Haiti and Scotland on Saturday night. Paulette Firmin, the executive chef of Marabou Café, is hosting a watch party for the big game at her restaurant in Mattapan, which hosts one of the nation’s largest Haitian populations.

Across MLS, teams are using access to World Cup tickets as currency with existing and prospective clients, staging watch parties to reach new fans and building data-capture operations designed to convert tournament interest into long-term customers.