Cristiano Ronaldo, Taylor Swift and Mickey Mouse compete for public attention. A World Cup vies for people’s leisure time and spending amid rising demands on both. Portugal reaching the 2026 World Cup final could produce an economic boost of 945 million euros, according to research from IPAM, the Portuguese marketing institute, as cited by sports daily A Bola. Even an early group-stage exit would still generate 378 million euros. Effects are already visible: since the squad began its training camp last Monday, 155 million euros have been recorded. IPAM executive director Daniel Sá noted that 23 percent of the total impact now stems from digital sources such as streaming, social media and user content, a sharp rise from prior decades.
