Years of preparations and the promise of a multibillion-dollar economic boost were supposed to make the 2026 FIFA World Cup a summer-long victory lap for the United States.

“I worked hard on this, along with a Great Team of talented people,” Trumpsaidin a post on X when the U.S. secured the co-hosting bid withCanadaandMexicoduring his first term. “We never fail, and it will be a great World Cup!”

Overlapping with America's 250th anniversary, the competition has been framed as the jewel in America's crowning year, as well as a major lift for the U.S. tourism sector. But with only a month until kick-off, hotels remain under-booked, tickets unsold, and travelers unconvinced, leaving the world's most-watched sporting event at risk of falling short of its most ambitious expectations.

Newsweekhas contacted FIFA for comment.

FIFA and its presidentGianni Infantinohave billed the 48-team competition as a pivotal opportunity forsoccerin general and the U.S. in particular—set to host 78 of the record 104 matches across 11 of its cities, including the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium.

In a joint study with the World Trade Organization (WTO)publishedlast March, FIFA forecast that the tournament would generate $80.1 billion in gross economic impact, with $30.5 billion of this going toward the U.S.

And the wave of fans is expected to fuel a windfall for businesses of all stripes and cities aside from those where matches are taking place.

“The numbers are striking,” the U.S. Travel Association wrote in a recent report. “International World Cup visitors expect to spend more than $5,000 per person; 1.7 times more than typical international trips to the U.S.”

The nonprofit trade group found, based on surveys of over 9,500 prospective attendees, that around a third intend to stay beyond two weeks, and that over 80 percent are “open to visiting destinations beyond the largest gateway cities, unlocking economic opportunity in communities across the country.”

Federal and local officials say years of planning and hundreds of millions in security and infrastructure spending have gone into preparing host cities for the tournament.

Source: Drudge Report