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Regional tourism leaders expect 2026 to be a big year for Boston, with the FIFA World Cup leading in terms of the economic impact from tourists and visitors.
Regional tourism leaders expect 2026 to be a big year for Boston, with the FIFA World Cup leading in terms of the economic impact from tourists and visitors.
The seven World Cup soccer games coming to Gillette Stadium are expected to have a $1.1 billion economic impact on New England, and an $800 million impact in Massachusetts, according to Brian Bilello, board chair of Boston Soccer 2026 and president of the New England Revolution.
Bilello shared those figures at tourism bureau Meet Boston’s annual meeting, recently held at the Boch Center.
International visitation to New England is expected to soar throughout the monthlong global soccer tournament, Bilello said. He and Meet Boston are working in tandem to seize the opportunity to convert onetime international tourists into repeat visitors to the region.
“Think of this as a monthlong opportunity,” Bilello said, who said FIFA World Cup 26 is projected to be the largest sporting event in history.
Meet Boston, which markets Greater Boston as a visitor destination, said 2026 is going to be a big year not only from the World Cup but also on a few other fronts. Other major events include the Massachusetts 250 initiative, to commemorate the the semiquincentennial anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, and the arrival of the Tall Ships hosted by Sail Boston. The last time the Tall Ships visited Boston was in 2017.
Meanwhile, Meet Boston itself has grown significantly over the past five years, increasing its revenue from less than $10 million in 2019 to a projected $50 million in 2024, according to its president and CEO Martha Sheridan.
Sheridan said Boston has now seen a full recovery of international visitation.
Total 2023 calendar-year attendance
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