Boston tourism officials anticipate 2026 to be a banner year for New England. Seven 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer games will be played at Gillette Stadium. These games are expected to have a $1.1 billion economic impact on New England’s economy and about $800 million for Massachusetts alone, according to Brian Bilello, board chair of Boston Soccer 2026 and president of the New England Revolution.

International visitors to New England will rise throughout the global soccer tournament’s duration. The event is projected to be one of the largest sporting events in history. Bilello hopes to maximize the energy around the games and encourage new international visitors to become repeat visitors to New England.

“Think of this as a monthlong opportunity,” Bilello said in an interview with the Boston Business Journal.

Meet Boston, the region’s destination marketing organization (DMO), also notes that 2026 should further drive visitor traffic to the area with several high-level events complementing the FIFA World Cup games. The Massachusetts 250 initiative will mark the sesquicentennial (150 years) anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. Sail Boston will also host a visit with the Tall Ships, the first time in nearly a decade that the vessels have visited Boston.

Meet Boston CEO and President Martha Sheridan told the Boston Business Journal that her organization has the resources to effectively promote the Boston region’s offerings to visitors. The DMO has increased its revenue from less than $10 million in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, to a projected $50 million in 2024.