PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Some tourism numbers are in from the eight FIFA Club World Cup matches played in Philadelphia earlier this summer.
From June 16 through July 4, the matches drew 346,000 fans from all 50 states and 120 countries, including Brazil, which normally doesn’t send many tourists our way, according to Convention and Visitors Bureau President Gregg Caren.
“It was definitely a test run for us, but it was definitely a test run that had real meaning to our economy at the same time,” Caren said.
Caren doesn’t have an economic impact estimate, but he says Center City Hotel occupancy during the matches in late June was up 18% over the same period last year. He said next year will likely dwarf those numbers.
“The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world. It surpasses every other set of numbers for viewers and tickets. It’s impossible for Americans to even fathom the impact,” he said.
Caren says many fans come even without tickets and simply fill the streets with flags and cheers and national fervor, but he says it's nothing Philly can’t handle.
“It’s muscle memory for us. We are used to doing big events, and from my estimation, we’re ready, and it’s going to be an extraordinary 2026.”