The FIFA World Cup final takes place on the following Sunday in July, becoming the center of the sporting world, with the following another taking place in the United States in July 2026.
This Sunday will be a dry run of sorts across two countries as the CONMEBOL Copa América competition’s last match pits defending champion Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium in residential Miami. That match will adopt the UEFA Euro 2024 last at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, where England and Spain will fight for the name of Europe’s best staff.
The two games have provided classes ahead of the 2026 World Cup, simultaneously hosted by the U. S., Mexico and Canada. One prominent example: Like the upcoming World Cup, both the Copa America and the Euros played with expanded fields, 16 teams in the former (up from 10 ) and 32 in the latter ( an increase of eight teams ).
The’ 26 World Cup will include a history 48 clubs, away from the standard area of 32.
More groups meant more scares and more Cinderellas. In Europe, Turkey, Austria and Slovenia gave brilliant shows, testing sports behemoths Netherlands, England and France. Copa America in the United States attracted thousands of fans despite earlier escapes from Mexico and the USMNT, which was upset by Panama in the group level and Brazil bowing out ahead of the quarterfinal. Owing to Lionel Messi’s Argentina and the huge following of Colombia, the hottest staff in the Americas, presence was usually good.
Victor Matheson, a professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross with a focus on sports ‘ economic effects, stated in a phone call that” the fact that Argentina made it to the final perhaps added at least a quarter million more visitors.”
According to StubHub, Argentina and Colombia games have been the biggest draws throughout the game. The secondary business had an average ticket amount of$ 1, 100 for the Miami last. The regular price of tickets sold on StubHub for the entire Copa America competition was$ 186, excluding the last.
But not all sports sold up. The U. S. team opener against Bolivia at the 80, 000-capacity AT&, T Stadium in Texas drew fewer than 48, 000 enthusiasts. The guests also failed to sell out their next match, with 59, 145 viewers inside the 71, 000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Simply 24, 000 spectators attended the game between Ecuador and Jamaica at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Mack anticipates that there may be chairs left over because FIFA might propose$ 200 for each activity in 2026. ” I hope this is the major lessons that FIFA takes from this,” Matheson said. ” When you expand the tournament, you do n’t get a lot more Argentinas and Brazils, you get more Jamaicas and Canadas”.
As for Euro, except for a handful of games, team played in sold-out locations. UEFA sold tickets as low as 30 euros ($ 32 ) ahead of the tournament. The last at the Olympiastadion, with a power of 71, 000, is already sold out. UEFA provided tickets in the primary market for prices ranging from$ 325 to$ 1,100.
Broadcast Breaks Records
Both competitions broke visitors records. The Copa América finals, spread on FS1, drew an average of 2, 067, 000 people, marking a 267 % increase from the 2021 Copa América semifinal, setting a report for the event. Argentina’s 2-0 triumph over Canada drew 1, 985, 000 while Colombia’s fight with Uruguay brought 2, 145, 000 people to the spread. Overall, Copa América averaged 1, 229, 000 viewers across FOX, FS1, and FS2, a 371 % increase compared to 2021 ( 261, 000 ) and a 39 % increase compared to 2016 (886, 000 ), when the tourney was last held in the U. S.
” This]Copa América ] might have been a Messi tournament rather than an Argentina tournament”, Matheson said.
Despite Messi Mania, Western sport continued to be a dominant force in American television ratings. The Wednesday evening suit between England and Netherlands drew 2, 971, 000 viewers, the next most-watched Euro final broadcast in U. S. English-language Television background, following closely behind Tuesday’s Spain-France suit, which attracted 3, 196, 000 viewers.
More Teams, More Problems, More Money
Both competitions produced some terrible events. The MetLife Stadium driving lot’s New Jersey State Fair on game days caused major delays for fans who were stranded for hours after team stage matches and the final between Argentina and Canada.
After the final in Charlotte’s Bank of America facility, a violent confrontation broke out between the Argentine national team and Brazilian fans. The conflict raised the importance of security planning for the World Cup, which will take place in 11 other stadiums throughout the United States.
Europe had its own issues. During the tournament, fans complained about the German hosts ‘ public transit networks. England’s opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen proved to be a disaster for fans who spent hours packed into the city’s train stations, unable to get to the Veltins-Arena.
While big crowds created problems, they also brought big dollars to host cities. The UEFA EURO 2024 is anticipated to bring Germany an additional €1 billion from foreign visitors, according to an areport from the Ifo Institute.
In the U. S.,” You’ve got Tuesday night in Charlotte with 70, 000 people packing a stadium, paying top dollar”, Matheson said.
Some 54 % of the ticket sales for the match came from outside the Carolinas. In a statement released ahead of the semifinal, Charlotte FC president Joe Labue stated that the city anticipated a large crowd for the big game.
” So, you know, the economics work out pretty well for that”, Matheson said.