You don't have to be a sports fan to understand the investing opportunities arising from the World Cup. After more than three decades, the FIFA World Cup has finally returned to North America, with the U.S., Canada and Mexico jointly hosting the 2026 tournament. The World Cup brings together 48 nations across 16 cities, which also means higher fan participation, travel flows and global media engagement. "This is likely to be the largest single-sport event in history," JPMorgan strategists led by Dubravko Lakos-Bujas and Bhupinder Singh wrote in a Thursday report. The tournament is set to generate about $14 billion in event-related spending and contribute $17.2 billion to the U.S. GDP, according to FIFA statements used by JPMorgan. More than 6.5 million fans are expected to attend matches, the bank said. Goldman Sachs ' model also highlights the scale of this event. After running the latest World Cup simulations, its analysts ranked Spain as the most likely champion, followed by France and Argentina. For investors, the bigger question is which stocks benefit from what could be the largest World Cup in history. Stocks tied to the event Analysts note that host-country equities have historically delivered median returns of roughly 10% during World Cup years, driven by tourism spending, stronger consumer sentiment and investment tied close to the event. JPMorgan sees upside potential across secondary ticketing, online travel and lodging, ride share and food delivery, advertising, airports and car rentals. Accommodation and food are estimated to bring in $2.4 billion, followed by real estate with $2 billion, according to the analysts at the investment bank. A total of $910 million is estimated to be added to the U.S. hotel room revenue. Digital advertising may be among the strongest winners, generating and estimate of roughly $5 billion in incremental global advertising spending, with 73% flowing through digital channels. JPMorgan recommends going long on 2026 World Cup Beneficiaries Basket, which best captures these themes. Overweight-rated names in the firm's basket include Alphabet , WWE-parent TKO Group , travel stock Booking Holdings , beverage giant Coca-Cola and sports betting app provider DraftKings . For investors seeking medium-term exposure to the play, JPMorgan recommends exposure to its basket of 2026 World Cup sponsors. The basket had a strong relative performance over the past two events, according to the firm. Overweight-rated names in JPMorgan's basket of 2026 World Cup sponsors include McDonald's , Doordash and American Airlines . Despite the scale of the tournament, investor expectations have been relatively subdued due to the macro backdrop, geopolitical uncertainty and growing concerns about the dwindling consumer demand, JPMorgan strategists wrote. "Given the magnitude of this approaching catalyst, we expect market sentiment to improve," they added.
<small>Source: CNBC</small>
