The World Cup is just around the corner and some very interesting data is emerging about the most important football event on the planet, through research from Bank of America's Thematic Investments team.
According to her, the main sporting event after the Olympic Games, which will be held this year in the USA, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, is expected to transform into a global technological, economic and social phenomenon, with an impact that will far exceed the boundaries of sport.
The tournament will feature 48 national teams competing in a total of 104 matches across 16 cities. More than 6 billion people are expected to interact with the tournament, representing approximately 75% of the world's population. Total stadium attendance is expected to reach 6.5 million, almost double that of any previous tournament.
Football as an economic superpower
The research presents sports as one of the largest industries on the planet. In 2025, the global sports industry generated revenues of $2.3 trillion, which ranks it as the 10th largest economy in the world. By 2030, the market is projected to reach $3.7 trillion.
Specifically for the 2026 World Cup, a study by FIFA and the WTO estimates that the tournament could add about $41 billion to global GDP and create more than 800,000 jobs. Of these, about 185,000 are estimated to be created in the United States alone.
The sectors expected to benefit the most are aviation, tourism, hotels, restaurants, sportswear companies, social media, broadcasting platforms and online betting services.
The first AI World Cup
The 2026 event is already being described as the first AI World Cup, as artificial intelligence will play a key role at almost every level.
According to the report, each team will use artificial intelligence systems that analyze hundreds of millions of data points and more than 2,000 performance indicators in real time. At the same time, digital twins of stadiums, autonomous vehicles, robots, data centers and exascale computing systems will be used.
Analysts estimate that during the finals up to 7% of total global internet traffic will be related to the World Cup, as audiences increasingly shift from traditional television to streaming, mobile devices and social media.
In 2022, the World Cup final attracted 1.5 billion viewers in just one minute of the match, absorbing 4%-5% of global internet traffic. In 2026, these figures are expected to be significantly exceeded.
Data as a new “product”
The research highlights that the 2026 World Cup will be the first event where data will essentially be the main product.
It is estimated that the live tournament data alone will exceed 90 petabytes, an amount 45 times greater than that of 2022. If artificial intelligence models, simulations, broadcasts and social platforms are included, then the total data output could reach 2 exabytes – a volume equivalent to approximately 45,000 years of continuous video at 4K resolution.
Predictions for the trophy
The Bank of America survey included analysts from BofA Global Research, who were asked to predict the winner of the event.
Most believe that France will win the trophy, with Kylian Mbappe emerging as the top scorer and Lamine Yamal emerging as the tournament's best player.
Artificial intelligence partially agrees with analysts' predictions, but still gives Spain an equal chance of winning the World Cup.
The greatest sporting event of all time
The 16 cities that will host the games represent a total economic activity of $11 trillion, a population of approximately 130 million, and 33 million international visitors each year.
As the report states, host countries historically record an average increase of 0.4 percentage points in their GDP in the year following the tournament, an element that highlights how football has now become a tool of economics, technology and geopolitical influence.
Interesting numbers
• 173,850 spectators: This is the largest attendance in the history of a World Cup match, in the 1950 final between Uruguay and Brazil at the Maracana.
• 185,000 jobs: This is how many new jobs are expected to be created in the US due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the increase in US GDP is estimated at $17 billion.
• 6 billion people: That's how many people are estimated to interact with the 2026 World Cup — about 75% of the world's population.
• 1.5 billion viewers: That's how many watched the 2022 final between Argentina and France, a number equal to the population of India.
• $746,811: The value of the World Cup trophy, which is made entirely of gold. Its value has increased by about 3,000% since 1974.
• $18 billion: The total market value of the players and 48 teams in the tournament. The England national team is considered the most valuable, with an estimated value of $1.9 billion.
• 45,000 years of 4K video: This is the amount of data estimated to be produced during the 2026 tournament.
• $2.3 trillion: Global sports industry revenue in 2025. If sports were a country, it would be the 10th largest economy in the world.
• $11.4 trillion: Total value of European football club deals over the last decade.
• 910 kilometers: The total distance covered by a European league soccer player in a single season — roughly the same distance as the distance from San Francisco to San Diego or from London to Zurich.
• 66 billion kilometers: The total air miles fans will travel to watch the games – about three times the distance between Earth and the edge of our solar system.
• Only 2 countries: Only two of the countries participating in the World Cup have a GDP greater than NVIDIA's market capitalization.
• 2 times more pilots: There are twice as many airline pilots worldwide as there are professional male soccer players. At the same time, there are twice as many professional soccer players as there are neurosurgeons.
• $2,800: If someone had invested $100 in the S&P 500 in 1994 – the last time the US hosted the World Cup –, today the investment would be worth about $2,800 including dividends.
• 2031: The year in which the first $1 billion player transfer is estimated to occur, if the current rate of transfer inflation continues.
• 2050: The goal of the RoboCup project is to create a robotic soccer team that can defeat the human world champions.
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