South Florida is scoring big this year, with a lineup of championship sporting events projected to deliver billions of dollars to the economy — underscoring Miami’s rise as a global destination for sports, tourism and business.
Miami is projected to see a $3 billion economic boost in 2026 from nearly a dozen major sporting events, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
That figure especially comes into focus as the city hosts the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night between the Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes, with President Donald Trump expected to attend. The event alone could bring in more than $264 million.
However, the FIFA World Cup will be the city’s true moneymaker, as former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told Fox News Digital that the seven matches later this year will rake in an estimated $1.5 billion.
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“We’re very accustomed to having large events… After the World Cup, we are gonna have the G-20. So it’s gonna be the largest and biggest and most significant event in the world at that time. So it’s something that we are accustomed to, and we will be prepared,” Suarez said in October. “We’re the best city on the planet, and we’re gonna have an opportunity to showcase that.”
“I think it could not come at a better time, and I think Miami will 100% be ready. It’s coming in at a time of year that Miami needs the business,” Breakwater Hospitality Group CEO Emi Guerra – the mind behind institutions like Regatta Grove, Pier 5 and The Wharf – previously told Fox News Digital. “I believe hotels will be ready to go. I believe restaurants and bars and anything that has to do with hospitality, we’re ready to go.”
This year’s packed schedule in the Magic City includes the Orange Bowl and NHL Winter Classic — with more ahead, such as the World Baseball Classic, Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, Miami Open, PGA Tour’s Trump National Doral event and the debut of Inter Miami’s new stadium.
Miami isn’t relying on one event — the city is stacking financial wins all year long.
“But I think what’s often missed, because it can’t be studied, is what is the indirect economic benefit long-term for Miami?” the former mayor said. “When you think about people that were thinking about going to Miami, now [they] visit Miami and decide, you know what? This is a great place to live.”
“I think, really, it does give us an opportunity to put Miami on the map again in front of the world. It really allows people that see or hear about Miami that maybe haven’t come, but are amazing soccer fans. They get to come into town, and they get to experience what they’ve seen in the movies and or on TV, or seen in the press,” Guerra noted.
“It really is a watershed moment. It is a generational opportunity,” Suarez added. “Now you can build a company here. Now you can scale a company. You can change the world from Miami… I think our legacy will be becoming a truly great global city.”
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