World Cup crowds gave Kansas City businesses a spending boost, new data claims
The World Cup brought more than just packed stadiums and lively watch parties.
It also gave some Kansas City businesses something extra to celebrate.
New data from Bank of America shows in-person spending in the Kansas City metro rose by just over 2% during the tournament's quarterfinal round compared with the same period a year earlier.
Bars and restaurants seemed to benefit the most, as fans gathered before and after matches and filled watch parties throughout the city.
Kansas City hosted a quarterfinal match at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which brought thousands of visitors to the area.
It also helped that the quarterfinal featured Lionel Messi and Argentina, who ended up as runners-up in the tournament.
Out of the four U.S. cities that hosted quarterfinals, Kansas City’s spending increase was right in the middle.
Boston saw spending go up by more than 6%, Los Angeles had a rise of just under 2%, and spending in Miami stayed about the same.
The analysis uses aggregated, anonymous credit and debit card data to show spending trends, not the tournament’s total economic impact.
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