- The FIFA World Cup may have cost the US economy 11.7 billion dollars in lost productivity
- Employers reported increased absenteeism during the event
- Employers reported late arrivals during the event
The FIFA World Cup may have been thrilling football fans, but it came at a significant economic cost for the United States, with one estimate suggesting the tournament shaved as much as $11.7 billion off productivity as millions of workers adjusted their schedules to catch the action.
According to human resources software company UKG, the World Cup could cost the US economy $11.7 billion in lost productivity, while the global hit may reach $17 billion. The estimate comes as employers across the country reported higher absenteeism, late arrivals and early departures during the tournament.
Fresh workplace data from office management platform Envoy offers a closer look at how the tournament affected attendance. The biggest disruption came not during the final or semifinals, but immediately after the United States men's team's Round of 16 exit to Belgium.
Envoy found that office attendance plunged 26% on July 7, the day after the US was eliminated — a drop it dubbed "Knockout Tuesday." That decline was nearly 10 times larger than the post-Super Bowl attendance dip the company observed earlier this year, underscoring the outsized impact of the country's World Cup campaign.
The disruption wasn't driven primarily by employees staying home, as one would assume. Employee office entries declined 11.5%, while visitor traffic — including client meetings, interviews and vendor appointments — fell 32%, suggesting businesses postponed meetings rather than shut offices entirely.
While weekday matches involving other countries had only a modest national effect, the US team's participation triggered the sharpest attendance decline. Once the host nation was knocked out, workplace attendance gradually returned closer to normal even as the tournament entered the quarterfinal stage.
Host cities also bucked expectations, as office attendance in cities staging matches generally remained resilient on match days, with increased local activity offsetting employees working remotely or shifting schedules. Seattle, however, saw a sharp decline the morning after hosting the US-Belgium match, reflecting what Envoy described as a delayed "hangover effect."
With the World Cup final approaching, researchers say the Monday-after impact is likely to be far milder than "Knockout Tuesday" because the US is no longer in contention.
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