Two Canadian business owners from Toronto and Vancouver said the 2026 FIFA World Cup provided only temporary benefits for their companies [1].
The experiences of these entrepreneurs highlight a growing debate over whether hosting global sporting events creates lasting wealth for small businesses or merely provides a short-term surge in activity.
Toronto hosted six World Cup matches during the tournament [3]. While the city saw an increase in activity, the financial gain for local merchants appears modest. Credit-card and debit-card sales in Toronto between June 12 and June 26 were 3% higher than during the same period in 2025 [2].
Hospitality sectors saw more dramatic shifts. Average hotel occupancy in Toronto rose from 68% to 85% during the tournament [4]. However, this surge in tourism did not always translate into sustainable profits for those outside the hotel industry.
John Doe, who owns a downtown coffee shop, described the volatility of the event. "We saw a big spike in foot traffic during the matches, but sales didn’t stay up after the tournament ended," Doe said [5].
Other business owners noted that the visibility provided by the event came with new financial burdens. Maria Liu, a boutique retailer, said the World Cup gave her business exposure it had never had before. However, she said the rent increase that followed the event makes it hard to determine if the experience was worth it [5].
These accounts contrast with some expert views suggesting the tournament's legacy could be significant despite the short-term data [6]. For many small-scale operators, the immediate reality involves balancing the prestige of a global event against rising operational costs.
“"We saw a big spike in foot traffic during the matches, but sales didn’t stay up after the tournament ended."”
The discrepancy between hotel occupancy spikes and modest retail sales growth suggests that World Cup spending was concentrated in the hospitality sector rather than distributed among local small businesses. For entrepreneurs, the 'halo effect' of global media attention may be offset by inflationary pressures, such as rising commercial rents, potentially neutralizing the intended economic stimulus of hosting the event.
