FIFA, the governing body that organizes the World Cup, said the U.S. will get a $17.2 billion bump to its GDP thanks to the tournament, but the numbers aren’t adding up, CNBC reported.
“Demand is real and positive, but it’s not evenly distributed across host cities,” Jay Wardle, president of travel data intelligence company Sojern, told CNBC.
According to booked flights from last year, Dallas and Houston are seeing bumps over the same time last year. Seattle is not.
Deutsche Bank said if the tournament can bring 1.2 million international fans to the U.S., there would only be a short-term GDP increase.
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According to the Athletic, most host cities will be lucky to break even as FIFA takes the lion’s share of profits.
