The countdown is on to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the Bay Area, alongside cities across America, as well as in Canada and Mexico.
The tournament is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19, hosting 48 teams and 104 matches.
But what many fans don’t necessarily think about is the behind-the-scenes side of things, and how the economic impact could benefit local businesses.
“The World Cup is the largest single sporting event on Earth in history,” said San Jose State University professor Shaun Fletcher. “The FIFA organization, along with the World Trade Organization, projects that the revenue within the United States will be around 30 billion in gross output—and around 17 billion in our GDP.”
According to Fletcher, who is on the Academic Advisory Board for The Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change, these statistics raise the question of what the local business community could do between now and then to be ready to snag a piece of the action.
With the World Cup to be played in Santa Clara, some see opportunities for business growth for Los Gatos-area mom-and-pop shops.
But just thinking about the wave of activity can be overwhelming, and so some business owners say they want to see more initiatives coming from the Town and chambers of commerce in the region.
But Harbir Bhatia, the CEO of the Santa Clara-based Silicon Valley Central Chamber, says there’s plenty of work underway to address these concerns.
“We have launched the games community initiative that looks at the economic opportunity that exists—or can create opportunities that showcase our businesses,” she said. “The games committee initiative will consist of a magazine that will showcase each city and its legacy; a game map that will show each activity and game on one singular map; and the third and final aspect is the master calendar—which allows all the cities within the World Cup area to place their programs in one unified space that gets promoted.”
But Bhatia says they’re looking deeper than just the money aspect.
‘We need to use this as a marketing tool to aim for a goal of long-term return, not just short-term economic growth’
—Deena Leroy, Chez Philippe co-owner
According to her, their efforts provide not just a possible revenue influx for businesses. They’re also promoting connectedness between each community, she says.
The need to prepare is also in line with Fletcher’s perspective.
“These businesses absolutely need to maximize on the revenue,” he said. “Small businesses can look at the past and previous instances in order to see what they need to do.”
Without the correct preparation, small-business owners could run into problems, given the expected influx of tourists, he added.
The World Cup has been held in the area before. And now some local owners share stories about how the Brazilian team particularly fell for Los Gatos, in the past.
But they add that sort of thing might not happen again if proper readiness steps aren’t taken.
Deena Leroy, one of the owners of Chez Philippe, a French cuisine restaurant along North Santa Cruz Avenue with a soccer flag out front, states,“We are trying to work with our Chamber of Commerce to be aligned with the Town, working on a marketing campaign as a French restaurant,” she said. “Additionally, we have a big back patio, and are planning to add television screens, so we can stream these local World Cup matches live for our fans.”
Double D’s Sports Bar and Grill also has their eyes on the prize.
But John Rahbar, a manager there, explained that they are waiting a little longer to implement their strategy.
“Once the schedule is out and finalized, we can figure out the game times and we will adjust our staff for the additional tourism and business,” he said. “Definitely for the USA games we will have a packed house with all the support for the games—so we want to be prepared for this likely possibility.”
As a popular sports-based business, it is crucial that they are well-staffed.
On the other hand, for Athletic Performance, a local sports retail store, the World Cup isn’t exactly top of mind.
Tyler Harmatz, a manager at the store, put it this way: “I don’t think we are preparing for it at all, just going to go about it normally,” he said, noting they’ll run specials, but otherwise won’t be making too many changes. “I think that it will affect the hospitality side of businesses rather than retail as much.”
But some say the important thing is not to work too hard for a short-term burst of cash, but rather to focus on potential long-term benefits.
“The goal is more popularity with the new business and people coming in for the first time,” Rahbar said. “We want to impress them with good food and good service, hopefully making our customers want to come back for more.”
It’s a similar picture at Chez Philippe.
“We don’t just think about the moment that’s happening, we also think about the long-term effects and how it will showcase smaller towns and communities all over the world,” Leroy said. “We need to use this as a marketing tool to aim for a goal of long-term return, not just short-term economic growth.”
Whether that’s the homey authenticity of Chez Phillipe, or the fun and lively atmosphere at Double D’s, experts say local businesses will need to highlight what makes them unique, if they want to succeed during the World Cup next year.
