The Big Apple is set to shell out $40 million more than it expects to get back in revenue from hosting the FIFA World Cup finals this summer, according to city documents obtained by The Post.
Roughly $90 million in taxpayer dollars will be fronted for the massive international event at MetLife Stadium from mid-June to July 19, including more than $10 million on security, according to figures outlined in City Council budget documents.
The city’s own marketing organization, NYC Tourism + Conventions, argues the FIFA World Cup games are expected to generate $3.3 billion in economic impact for New York and New Jersey – including $1.8 billion in direct spending – and create 26,000 jobs.
But the city projects that it will reap $51 million in tax revenue as tourists flock to the tri-state area, much less than it will be spending, the council docs show.
Expenditures include $29 million for the city’s Economic Development Commission, $20 million to the FIFA NY/NJ World Cup Host Committee, $12 million in NYPD security, $4.9 million on marketing and $230,000 for the Office of Emergency Management.
More, yet unspecified, costs will go to NYPD overtime and “community outreach,” according to sources familiar with the matter.
The city is also still hiring for two six-figure salary positions — a Director of NYC World Cup Activations and a Project Manager for NYC World Cup Programming — set to work under the mayor’s office.
The news comes as major hospitality industry groups sound the alarm over a steep decline in hotel bookings for the historic games, compared to previous starry-eyed projections.
A report from NYC Tourism + Conventions found that advance bookings were down 12% for June and 8% for July compared to the same time frame in 2025, though the non-profit group said it expected sales to pick up this month.
“Forward bookings for June 11th onwards are at the same level as last year when there was no FIFA – which means at this point there is no noticeable bump,” said Vijay Dandapani, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, representing over 300 hotels.
“While demand for FIFA tickets is unprecedented, that momentum has yet to fully translate into strong hotel bookings,” added American Hotel & Lodging Association President & CEO Rosanna Maietta.
“And there remains significant uncertainty around who will travel and how demand will shift as teams advance.”
FIFA reps contended it still may be too early to tell, with playoff games happening this week.
Some teams – like Italy, Denmark and Sweden – have yet to qualify for the finals, a FIFA rep said, and therefore international fans may be holding out on travel plans until their team secures a spot.
“We expect the booking pace to pick up after the next sales phase in April and as the booking window narrows,” a NYC Tourism + Conventions rep told The Post, noting that a survey of World Cup travelers conducted in January found more than half of consumers had not yet booked hotels, but were still “firmly committed to attending the events.”
Dandapani also noted hotel prices were lower than what was projected in December, when up to a 300% increase was expected.
And a room shortage was unlikely, he said, as the 1.2 million tourists expected to come to the games will be spread across a 39-day period – lower than the number of visitors for the US Tennis Open.
“A comparison of the same hotel listings from [December] to now shows a bump of 25-30% only,” he said. “This is part of a regular pattern of so-called mega events that are hyped only to find bookings flagging nearer the event.”
