The clearest gains were tied directly to the event itself.
That pattern fits the structure of modern football tournaments. Broadcasters, production crews, host-city logistics and matchday travel tend to benefit first. When supporters are moving between fan zones, stadiums and city centres, transit networks often feel it immediately. So do media operations built around wall-to-wall tournament coverage.
The more revealing part of the update was where growth did not fully arrive.
That underlines a common gap between the promise of a tournament and the spread of its rewards. Football can generate intense spending, but it is often concentrated around specific matchday habits rather than evenly shared across the travel economy. Some supporters stay briefly, some choose alternative accommodation, and some spending is pulled into official venues rather than local businesses.
For host countries and cities, the takeaway is straightforward. Big tournaments can still be valuable, but the strongest returns often come in targeted areas: media, transport, event operations and high-traffic entertainment zones. The idea of a blanket tourism boom is harder to sustain.
The next storyline to watch is whether later tournament stages or future host planning can turn that short, sharp football surge into broader local gains beyond the stadium bubble.