South Florida is scoring big this year, with a series of championship sporting events expected to bring billions of dollars to the economy. highlighting the rise of Miami as a global destination for sport, tourism and business.
Miami is expected to see a $3 billion economic boost in 2026 from nearly a dozen major sporting events, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
This figure is particularly important since the city hosts the College Football Playoff National Championship Monday evening between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes, in the presence of President Donald Trump. The event alone could raise more than $264 million.
However, the FIFA World Cup will be the city’s real moneymaker, as former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told Fox News Digital that the seven matches scheduled for later this year would bring in around $1.5 billion.
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“We are very used to having big events… After the World Cup we will have the G20. So it will be the biggest and most important event in the world at that time. So it is something we are used to and we will be prepared for,” Suarez said in October. “We are the best city on the planet and we will have the opportunity to demonstrate it.”
A general view during the national anthem before the college football quarterfinal game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Getty Images)
“I think it couldn’t come at a better time, and I think Miami will be 100 percent ready. It comes at a time of year when Miami needs the business,” Emi Guerra, CEO of Breakwater Hospitality Group — the mind behind institutions like Regatta Grove, Pier 5 and The Wharf — told Fox News Digital. “I believe the hotels will be ready to go. I believe the restaurants, the bars and everything that has to do with hospitality, we’re ready to go.”
This year’s busy schedule in the Magic City includes the Orange Bowl and NHL Winter Classic – with more to come, like the World Baseball Classic, the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, the Miami Open, the PGA Tour’s Trump National Doral event and the debut of Inter Miami’s new stadium.
Miami does not rely on a single event: the city accumulates financial gains throughout the year.
“But I think what’s often forgotten, because it can’t be studied, is what is the long-term indirect economic benefit to Miami?” said the former mayor. “When you think about the people who were considering going to Miami, now [they] visit Miami and decide, you know what? It’s a great place to live. »
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“I really think this gives us an opportunity to put Miami back on the map in front of the world. It really allows people who see or hear about Miami who maybe haven’t been, but are incredible soccer fans. They can come to town and experience what they’ve seen in the movies and/or on TV, or seen in the press,” Guerra noted.
“It’s really a watershed moment. It’s a generational opportunity,” Suarez added. “Now you can build a business here. Now you can scale a business. You can change the world from Miami…I think our legacy will become a truly great global city.”
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