Which small businesses win during the World Cup?

June 08, 2026

by a professional from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, USA

I was debating with a friend (former searcher, now an operator) about which small businesses benefit the most from the World Cup. I said hospitality, he said healthcare. That caught me off guard, but his reasoning made sense. Just an interesting reminder of the many niche sectors that support event ecosystem. But now I'm curious, what are you all seeing? Which sectors actually move during major international events like this?

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Reply by a lender
from Cornell University in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Hi ^redacted‌ - this is a great question and nice to meet you. Honestly, the data backs up both sides of your debate. Hospitality is the clear #1. Deutsche Bank specifically flagged restaurants near host stadiums as the best positioned small businesses. Atlanta alone is projecting $503M in local economic impact. B. Riley estimates 13.1M visitors and 21.3M hotel room nights across the tournament. But your friend isn't wrong on healthcare either. Kansas City health systems are projecting 6-8% increases in patient traffic during the tournament and are doubling urgent care staffing. A lot of international visitors don't understand the US healthcare system, so they end up in ERs for minor stuff instead of urgent care clinics. Independent urgent care and bilingual providers near host cities are quietly well positioned. The sectors most people miss: staffing agencies (security, food service, sanitation), commercial cleaning/laundry, transportation, and translation services. Security and transport are the #2 and #3 hiring categories after hospitality. FIFA and WTO project a $41B global GDP boost from this World Cup. The ecosystem around these events is way bigger than most people think. We have a lot experience financing various companies via the SBA. If you ever need help reviewing a deal, I am happy to help. We work with all the major SBA lenders. The bank pay us after your loan closes, so this is a 100% free service for you. You can email me directly at redacted or schedule a meeting with me: https://cal.com/francodeguzman/30min. Look forward to chatting!

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