FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP 2025™
Ex-ante socio-economic impact analysis of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™
inclusive growth and sustainable global trade
Economic impact
Global economy
41.3
USD billion
GROSS OUTPUT
21.1
USD billion
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)
432k
FULL-TIME EQ. (FTE)
JOBS CREATED
4.8
USD billion
GOVERNMENT REVENUE
USA
17.1
USD billion
GROSS OUTPUT
9.6
USD billion
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)
105k
FULL-TIME EQ. (FTE)
JOBS CREATED
1.9
USD billion
GOVERNMENT REVENUE
Social impact
3.36
USD billion
SOCIAL BENEFITS
4.34
SROI ratio
SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Source: OpenEconomics elaboration based on FIFA data
Main Economic and Social Impacts
FIFA and the WTO promoted an ex-ante analysis of the global socio-economic impacts of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the event-related social and economic impact, capturing both tangible and intangible benefits through a structured and comprehensive analysis.
The analysis adopts both the Impact Analysis methodology and Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology aligned with OECD guidelines, to evaluate the value generated relative to the investments made. This methodology incorporates stakeholder engagement, outcome mapping, monetization, and the discounting of future benefits.
To provide a comprehensive picture, the socio-economic impact analysis uses an inter-country SAM matrix with a breakdown into 45 productive sectors and 76 different countries.
This double approach allows us to trace how initial expenditures related to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™—ranging from infrastructure investment to tourist spending—ripple through various sectors of the global economy, providing insights into the direct, indirect, and induced effects of this global event on both economic and social levels (see Technical Report).
The FIFA Club World Cup™ is one of the most prestigious events in international football, bringing together champion clubs from each continent to compete for global glory.
In 2025, the first-ever 32-club FIFA Club World Cup™ edition will be staged, showing an unprecedented level of competition and diversity.
The tournament, hosted by the United States, is set to redefine expectations both on and off the field during the FIFA Club World Cup™, scheduled from June 14 to July 13, 2025. More than 2 billion people worldwide are expected to tune in and witness a groundbreaking celebration of football, showcasing top clubs from every continent in a month-long spectacle of skill, passion, and global unity.
The estimated economic impacts are significant, with almost USD 41.3 billion in gross output and USD 21.1 billion of global gross domestic product (GDP) growth contribution. Additionally, 432 thousand full time jobs are generated, and new labor incomes amount to USD 10.9 billion, by direct, indirect and induced effects.
The event as a whole also generates USD 4.8 billion in government revenue, with USD 1.9 billion in the USA.
In addition to its economic impact, the analysis for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ also highlights a significant social dimension, projecting a Social Return on Investment (SROI) of 4.34. This figure is calculated by dividing the total estimated benefits of USD 3.36 billion by FIFA’s allocated budget of USD 0.77 billion, with values adjusted using shadow prices. In other words, when examining the social impact, every dollar invested is expected to yield a return of USD 4.34 in societal benefits.
A global event
3,666
k people
STADIUM ATTENDANCE
807
k people
EXPECTED FOREIGN TOURISTS
1,000
USD million
PRIZE
MONEY
63
MATCHES
32
TEAMS
736
ATHLETES
12
VENUES
Source: OpenEconomics elaboration based on FIFA data
A brend new top tier event
The event framework
The tournament, hosted by the United States, is set to shatter records both on and off the field.
Following FIFA’s decision, the number of teams increased from 7 to 32.
Stadium attendance is projected to surpass previous benchmarks, with expectations of 3,666 thousand fans attending the 63 games across the month-long tournament. This includes 807 thousand tourists, contributing to a new benchmark for the event, while billions more are expected to tune in from home worldwide.
The final, to be held at the MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey, is anticipated to draw a massive crowd, with similar high turnouts expected at multiple matches throughout this groundbreaking tournament. A new benchmark will also be set for the number of stadiums used, with matches played across 12 venues—surpassing the previous maximum of 7 stadiums from past editions of the Club World Cup.
As fans flock to stadiums, almost 2 billion spectators are also expected to tune in across the world. The FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ is projected to reach unprecedented levels of viewership, drawing an unprecedented global audience. Record-breaking viewership figures are anticipated in several countries, including the United States, Europe, and South America, where interest in the tournament is expected to reach new heights.
Furthermore, the 2025 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup™ is set to see a significant leap in prize money, with USD 1 billion available to the participating teams, marking a substantial increase from past editions of the event. The considerable growth in prize money is a clear indicator of the rising appreciation and value placed on club football. Moreover, it reflects increased investments, commercial earnings, and popularity.
Event expenditure
The total USD 7.2 billion expected in relation to the event is divided into two types: FIFA Club World Cup™ expenses (USD 3.2 billion) and tourism expenses related to the event (USD 4 billion).
Tourism expenditure is calculated using several key assumptions. According to FIFA data, total stadium attendance is estimated at 3,666 thousand, based on 90% of the stadiums’ full capacity.
Assuming that 40% of the total stadium attendance consists of foreign tourists, and that they are accompanied by an additional 10% as companions, we estimate that each tourist attends an average of two matches. Based on these assumptions, the total number of foreign tourists is estimated to be 807 thousand people.
To determine the total expenditure, the estimated number of tourists is multiplied by $500, the average daily spending per tourist, and then by 10 days, which reflects a realistic estimate of the average length of stay and expenditure in the USA for such an event.
Investments in event-related expenses, encompassing team services and operations, communication & marketing, venue and competition as well as administration and finance are all included in the FIFA expenditure, account for USD 900 million. The total prize money of USD 1 billion is also included in the FIFA expenditure, representing a major improvement compared to previous editions.
Other expenses include USD 1 billion in host city operational expenditure, accounting for 15%, with federal expenditures and capital investments each comprising 1%, or USD 100 million each.
In conclusion, the 2025 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup™ is set to see a significant leap in overall expenditure, with USD 7.2 billion acting as an economic shock for both local as well as global economies, marking a substantial increase from the previous edition. This considerable growth in investment is a clear indicator of the rising appreciation and value placed on club football. Moreover, it reflects increased investment, commercial earnings, and popularity.
Insights on global trade
Goods and services by type, source and destination
The diagram shows the flows of final and intermediate goods between importing sectors in the United States and exporting sectors driven by FIFA Club World Cup™. The competition serves as a catalyst for local sectors, stimulating demand for goods and services and fostering global transactions. These intersectoral linkages, including second-round effects, create a multiplier effect on the global economy, facilitating the redistribution of resources on a global scale
*“Arts and sports” cover ISIC Rev. 4 Divisions 90 to 93, also including other entertainment and recreation services.
The increased local demand for goods and services in the United States leads to imports from the rest of the world. Through these trade linkages, the FIFA Club World Cup™ organized in the U.S. also affects other economies, including developing and developed regions. The extent and nature of these impacts vary according to each economy’s specialization and their respective positions within global value chains.
Which are the main trade channels of the event?
The FIFA Club World Cup™ stimulates trade across countries in two different phases:
- The first phase relates to financing the event through the export of services worldwide, such as media rights and sponsorship rights. These are purchased by corporations in sectors like sports apparel manufacturing and food and beverages, with companies in these sectors also purchasing marketing rights.
- Then, FIFA and the local organizing committees spend the collected funds to facilitate the activation of trade exchanges between countries. Indeed, while part of the funds is spent in the host country on energy and infrastructure and team preparation activities, the remaining expenditure is dedicated to importing goods and services from abroad.
The study and its main outcomes
Economic Impact
ECONOMIC SHOCK
Expenditure activates value added and employment worldwide.
7.2
USD billion
TOTAL
EXPENDITURE
40% Accommodation
20% Air transport
16% Other sectors
8% Wholesale & Retail
6% Real Estate
5% Arts & Entertainment
5% Public Administration
ECONOMIC RESPONSE
Gross and net (GDP) impact generated locally and worldwide.
41.3
USD billion
GROSS
OUTPUT
21.1
USD billion
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)
LABOR & TAXES
Full time workers employed and taxes generated by the competition.
432k
FULL-TIME EQ. (FTE)
JOBS
CREATED
4.8
USD billion
GOVERNMENT REVENUE
Source: OpenEconomics elaboration based on FIFA data
Main Economic Impacts
on the global and local economy
The USD 7.2 billion expenditure is modelled in this analysis as an exogenous demand shock for the local economy; this inflow of resources activates an economic cycle that results in a positive impact on global GDP of around USD 21.1 billion and USD 41.3 billion in gross output. This economic impact stems from the direct, indirect, and induced effects of the economic shock.
At the same time, the event is expected to generate 432 thousand full-time equivalent jobs and government revenue for USD 4.8 billion worldwide. GDP and employment impacts involve both male and female workforce from low- to middle-income and high-income economies. Although the initial expenditure belongs to the football event-specific economic sectors, its impact in terms of GDP and employment reaches a wider range of economic sectors worldwide.
Bear in mind that this analysis does not consider the opportunity costs of this expenditure (see Technical Report for a detail account of the methodology and limitations). It does, however, show how its effects propagate in the economy.
The FIFA Club World Cup™ impacts global GDP through direct, indirect, and induced effects:
- Direct impact refers to the value added generated by sectors involved in the event delivery.
- Indirect impact refers to the value added by sectors supplying goods and services through value chains.
- Induced impact is the effect on global GDP from increased household spending on goods and services due to higher income.
Both the indirect and induced components exceed the revenue directly generated by the event. This highlights the strong production and trade interconnection between the U.S. and foreign economies.
Direct, indirect and induced impacts:
the case of travel and accomodation sector
The USD 7.2 billion expenditure constitutes the analyzed exogenous shock to the economy, with an impact that can be broken down into three rounds.
To clarify what each round of impacts entails, we can consider the example of the accommodation and food expenses related to the FIFA Club World Cup™:
- In this case, the direct impact is the value added generated in that specific sector, namely labor bills, and revenues from the sale of goods and services provided by accommodation facilities, restaurants, and similar businesses.
- The Indirect impact, then, stems from the increase in value added along the value chains activated by the food and accommodation sector, such as demand for unprocessed food, telecommunications, real estate services (including travel agencies), general wholesale intermediate goods, and agricultural goods.
- Finally, the induced impact is determined by the effect of reintroducing household income into the economy, meaning that people benefiting from the direct and indirect increases in value added spend part of their income on goods and services that in turn activate global value chains.
The above charts represent the global distribution of additional GDP generated by the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
Direct impact accrues specifically the United States, making North America the most impacted continent in terms of additional GDP generated by the event.
All other countries experience an increase of GDP based on their degree of production and trade interconnection with the host countries. A key outcome of the impact analysis is that hardly any country is excluded from the distribution of value added and trade benefits generated by the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
As an additional point of view, the following chart shows the per capita impact on GDP across different economies, induced by the FIFA Club World Cup™.
Although all sectors benefit to a greater or lesser extent from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, most of the positive spillovers accrue to the services sectors.
This is particularly true for wholesale and retail trade and accommodation and food as well as real estate, business and transport services.
Labor income from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ is higher in the U.S., the host country, at USD 5.8 billion compared to USD 5.1 billion in the rest of the world.
However, the event generates relatively fewer jobs in the U.S. due to structural features of the labor market, where employment is predominantly concentrated among high-skilled, high-wage workers. The services sector has the most employment worldwide. In the U.S., the Accommodation and Transport sectors see the largest job growth due to hosting the tournament, while in other countries, the Wholesale and retail trade as well as Agriculture sector experience the greatest impact.
Social Impact
TOTAL BENEFITS
Sum of entertainment, sport and tourism benefits
3.36
USD billion
SOCIAL BENEFITS
SOCIAL OUTPUT
Ratio between net present value and net investment
4.34
SROI ratio
SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Source: OpenEconomics elaboration based on FIFA data
Main Social Impacts
on society and communities
Social Return on Investment (SROI) goes beyond financial metrics to measure the true impact of investments—considering improvements in health, well-being, and community connections.
Built on Social Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (SGAAP), SROI follows an input-output-outcome model (investments → benefits → actions) to assess the social value created. Using the Theory of Change, this approach identifies the key drivers behind meaningful change for stakeholders.
By calculating the ratio of total social benefits to investment costs, SROI helps organizations understand how much social value is generated for every dollar spent—ensuring a deeper, more impactful return on investment.
A key application of this methodology is the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, which is projected to generate an estimated USD 3.36 billion in social and economic benefits.
Tourism-related benefit is assessed in terms of consumer surplus, estimated using the “rule of half”. This approach assumes a linear distribution of benefits and allows for the quantification of the economic advantage perceived by tourists relative to the price they pay. The analysis captures both the benefits arising from tourism during the event itself and the legacy effects in the following years.
Sports development benefits, meanwhile, are based on an estimation of 1.8 million local spectators attending matches, providing a foundation for calculating savings in healthcare costs, reductions in crime rates, and increased spending on injuries (a negative benefit) through applied proxies.
Entertainment value derives from consumer surplus, factoring in the time value for U.S. residents and tourists alike, while social media engagement adds further value, measured by the cost per click.
The analysis for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ highlights a significant social dimension, projecting a Social Return on Investment (SROI) of 4.34. This figure is calculated by dividing the total estimated benefits of USD 3.36 billion by economic cost of USD 0.77 billion, with values adjusted using shadow prices. In other words, when examining the social impact, every dollar invested is expected to yield a return of USD 4.34 in societal benefits.
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Copyright © GoalEconomy | All rights reserved The WTO and FIFA have agreed to work together to examine how international trade and football can serve as catalysts for economic growth and social inclusion. The collaboration, spelled out in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, seeks to foster synergies in relation to the economic dimension of sport and empowerment, especially for least-developed countries (LDCs) and women. Under the MoU, which will remain in force until 31 December 2027, the WTO and FIFA will exchange information and expertise on the economic dimension of football, through participation in conferences, regular meetings, and contribution to studies. The opinions expressed on this website do not necessarily represent the positions or opinions of WTO or FIFA members and are without prejudice to members’ rights and obligations under the WTO and FIFA.