Visa's World Cup sponsorship pays off ahead of earnings

• Key insight: Visa says the World Cup boosted payments, particularly in host cities such as New York and Boston. 
• What's at stake: The card brand sponsors large sporting events and showcased payment technology. 
• Forward look: Visa, Mastercard, Amex and PayPal report earnings in the coming days. 

Visa is touting what it calls "pop-up" economics, which the card network defines as temporary, highly concentrated periods of commercial activity that correspond with cultural, entertainment or sporting events. 
Much like Bank of America saw payment spikes in World Cup host cities, Visa on Wednesday reported that the event drove a 20% boost in cross-border payments in and around match sites in Canada, Mexico and the United States. 

The increase was partly spurred by travel, with 6.5 million people traveling to host cities, with 2.6 million from outside North America. 

Among host cities, Boston led growth in year-over-year dining transactions in local bars and restaurants. Guadalajara recorded the highest transportation spending growth as fans traveled to the stadium. Atlanta saw strong entertainment activity tied to fan celebrations and cultural events, while New York experienced a surge in retail spending.

Visa said the trends demonstrate how a "pop-up economy" distributes opportunity across an entire host market, beyond the actual venue. 

Among countries, Colombia, Puerto Rico, the U.K., Argentina and Brazil generated the highest levels of cross-border spending across host cities, according to Visa. 

Consumers spent most heavily on transportation and entertainment, underscoring the broad economic benefit generated by tournament tourism, Visa said. "Tap to pay" transactions rose nearly 12%, providing a boost for technology that enables merchants to use smartphones to accept payments without adding extra hardware. 

Among the matches, Ecuador vs. Curaçao and Colombia vs. Ghana contests, both in Kansas City; and Croatia vs. Ghana in Philadelphia generated the highest year-over-year increases in spending in those cities, creating significant spending spikes before, during and after kickoff, according to Visa.

"Through Visa's network, we could watch those economies emerge, move from city to city and connect millions of fans with the merchants and communities hosting the world's biggest sporting event," Frank Cooper III, Visa's chief marketing officer, said in a statement. 

The increase in World Cup-related payments could help large payment companies, which are set to post quarterly earnings in the coming days. In Visa's most recent earnings report, CEO Ryan McInerney said, "With FIFA, we have already seen increased activation of cards, spend and engagement from our clients." Visa in 2026 also benefited from increased revenue due to the Olympics. "At Visa, FIFA World Cup spending may provide more tailwinds than what management embedded into the guide," KBW Managing Director Sanjay Sakhrani said in a research note. 

Amex reports earnings July 24, Visa and PayPal report earnings July 28, and Mastercard July 30. Amex and Mastercard beat earnings estimates in the first quarter, buoyed by strong consumer spending despite the Iran war, tariffs and related inflation. Analysts at BofA said Mastercard's value-added services strategy should benefit from AI security threats and higher travel to the U.S. during the World Cup. 

In the case of PayPal, its earnings come amid a corporate restructuring and rumors the company may be sold to Stripe. 

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"While strategic developments will dominate the headline discussion, branded checkout performance remains the most important underlying operating metric for PayPal," BofA analysts said in a research note on PayPal. "This quarter, the company faces a difficult comparison lapping 5% branded checkout growth in 2Q25. Investors will also be focused on lending, capital allocation, and management's articulation of PayPal's standalone value proposition as the board evaluates strategic alternatives."