World Cup Windfall Could Bypass Broadway

BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentWorld Cup Windfall Could Bypass BroadwayByMarc Hershberg,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Marc Hershberg is a journalist covering the business of Broadway.Follow AuthorJun 01, 2026, 07:00am EDTAtmosphere outside the New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) on May 01, 2026 (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)Getty ImagesBroadway might not score big from the World Cup.With eight soccer matches taking place in New Jersey later this month, the New York New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee predicted that more than 1.2 million people would come to the area. The tournament would generate a local economic impact of $3.3 billion, and some business coalitions proclaimed that it would be the “Summer of Opportunity.”But, the opportunity might not extend across the river to the Great White Way.“One major concern is the anticipated spike in hotel prices across Manhattan and the NYC metropolitan area during the tournament,” observed Pace University business professor Claudia Green. For example, the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square raised its rate for a room from $491 to $651 per night for the tournament. Prices at hotels across the other boroughs increased about 20 percent, according to one report.“Broadway relies heavily on tourists, particularly overnight visitors and international travelers who already spend significant amounts on airfare, restaurants, transportation, and theater tickets,” professor Green explained. “If hotel prices rise dramatically, some middle-income visitors may shorten their stays, choose less expensive destinations, stay outside Manhattan, or skip Broadway performances altogether,” she warned.“Unlike host cities like Miami, which doesn’t get much tourism in the summer, NYC is a tourist destination in the summer and if New York hotel rates go so high it is a real possibility that people will decide in the summer of 2026 to go elsewhere to avoid the conges...