FRESH TAKES ON BIG IDEAS

I’ve been lucky enough to attend three World Cups. The first was in Mexico in 1986, the second was in Germany in 2006. This summer, with the tournament hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, I’ve been fortunate to visit multiple host cities. I’m trying to take in as much as I can—and bringing my kids along so they can have the same experience I did.

Early in the tournament, I went to the Mexico versus South Korea match in Guadalajara and couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d witnessed. It had almost nothing to do with the final score. People lined up at 11 a.m. for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The whole city was buzzing. Mexicans and Koreans—people whose worlds don’t always intersect—were wearing each other’s colors, sharing food, and dancing together in the streets. After Mexico won, the stadium screens flashed, “¡Coreano, Hermano, Ya Eres Mexicano!” (“Korean, my brother, now you’re a Mexican!”) Everyone was cheering and hugging.

That moment has stayed with me. Not just as a fan experience but as a signal of something with real economic weight. Cities are seizing that signal with enthusiasm. Guadalajara felt transformed from the moment I landed. Kansas City had signs at the airport promoting Argentinian energy investment. The governor of Nuevo León showed up at the Swedish team’s hotel in full Swedish regalia to pitch his Mexican state as a place to do business. These cities understand that the fans in their streets aren’t just tourists—they’re potential trade partners, investors, and long-term connectors. The Argentinian ambassador told me he’d visited Kansas City five times in the past year, and the conversations were about manufacturing hubs and industrial partnerships, not fútbol.

Not every host city has leaned in to the same degree. Some have greeted me with business as usual. That’s a mistake. The cities that make visitors feel genuinely embraced will be reaping benefits long after the trophy has been lifted.

Similarly, it’s worth considering whether opportunities are being missed when it comes to embracing Latino soccer fans in a targeted way. McKinsey analysis indicates that Latino fans could be the most underserved audience in American sports.

“Inclusion matters, and the sports world has made real strides. But there’s a business case here that deserves equal attention, and many organizations are still leaving it on the table.”

In the course of our research, we interviewed roughly 50 to 60 sports organizations. I was genuinely surprised by how few had a real strategy focused on reaching Latino audiences—not just a theme night at an event but an actual, sustained effort to engage the fastest-growing demographic in the country.

The World Cup is the most vivid illustration of what’s at stake. FIFA projects $11.1 billion in event-related expenditures from this tournament alone, spanning media, infrastructure, sponsorship, and tourism. Latino fans are expected to drive a disproportionate share of that activity—filling stadiums, traveling between cities, and spending on tickets, merchandise, and dining. The US sports economy is worth $160 billion today and is on track to nearly double to more than $300 billion by 2035. Latino fans are projected to contribute one-third of that growth.

But it isn’t just the World Cup. Look at what’s happening in basketball. The Knicks recently won their first NBA championship in 53 years, powered in no small part by Karl-Anthony Towns, who proudly represents his Dominican heritage, and José Alvarado, of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. They’ve galvanized Latino fans across New York and beyond. In MLS soccer, Inter Miami has shown what it looks like to build a club around Latino culture from the ground up—and the fan base response has been extraordinary. The Los Angeles Dodgers are making similar efforts in baseball. Our data shows that when content and representation speak to Latino fans directly, engagement jumps 30 to 40 percent—and Latinos already spend roughly 50 percent more per capita on sports than comparable income groups. Inclusion matters, and the sports world has made real strides. But there’s a business case here that deserves equal attention, and many organizations are still leaving it on the table.

There’s one more dimension worth considering: keeping young Latinos in sports. Among Latino corporate directors we surveyed, 87 percent had played organized sports when they were young. The figure was even higher for women. Sports can build habits, resilience, and leadership instincts that carry over into every other domain of life. They also do something simpler and just as important: They keep kids healthy, active, and connected to their communities while offering a sense of belonging and purpose that extends well beyond the playing field. Yet Latinas are exiting organized sports earlier than any other demographic, in part because the cost has become prohibitive—competitive youth programs can run upward of $4,000 per child per sport per year. Keeping young people in the game isn’t just good social policy. It’s good business strategy.

The World Cup is about to end. But the connections it’s forged and the trade relationships it’s sparked don’t have to end with it. The tournament is only the opening act. What happens next is the real opportunity.

—Edited by Christine Y. Chen, senior editor, Denver

ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

Alberto Chaia is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Miami office.