“Engagement is probably not what it could have been,” said Pedro Suarez, executive director of the Third Avenue BID in the South Bronx. “I do think that [small businesses] are still going to participate in the ways that they can, but it’s a missed opportunity.”
In late May, the streets of Jackson Heights, a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Queens, sizzled more from the early spring heat than from excitement over the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
There were a few signs hinting at the planet’s biggest sporting event, which kicks off next week: posters of the World Cup trophy and flags of different countries on display. But several local business owners said they’d yet to hear about the flurry of campaigns the city is running to help them capitalize on the tourists in town to catch the matches in person, and the New Yorkers who will hopefully turn out to watch them in neighborhood bars and restaurants.
While no games will be played in New York City—all eight will take place at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, starting June 13—officials are promoting the event as a tourism booster, with “the potential to be an immense economic driver” for the five boroughs, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in March.
“We want to ensure that every single borough in this city is one that feels that tournament and also the prospect of economic development from it,” the mayor said at the time.
But City Limits interviewed Latino owners and managers of seven restaurants and bars in the Jackson Heights commercial district, and only one—whose owner was bilingual—knew about, and is part of, the administration’s initiatives surrounding the event.
That includes knowing how to access official graphics for World Cup promotional materials, take part in a social media campaign led by the city’s tourism branch, or join the “Five Boroughs Winner Special” initiative, in which participating restaurants and bars are offering $26 price-fixed food or beverage specials along with commemorative, limited-edition cups they can buy from the city.
City Limits also spoke with directors of business improvement districts (BIDs) in Sunset Park and the South Bronx—neighborhoods with large immigrant and Latino populations, where soccer is a major cultural touchstone—who complained about the lack of local involvement for an event the city knew it would be part of four years ago.
“Engagement is probably not what it could have been, especially when you consider that the engagement has to happen in multiple languages,” said Pedro Suarez, executive director of the Third Avenue BID in the South Bronx. “I do think that the ball was dropped, and I do think that [small businesses] are still going to participate in the ways that they can, but it’s a missed opportunity.”
Materials in the city’s World Cup “toolkit” for local businesses, for example, are not available in Spanish or any language except for English.
“Sometimes I just feel like [they’re] not going to put [in] the effort, because this is not for us, you know? I mean, it’s not going to benefit us,” said Leslie Ramos, executive director of the 82nd Street Partnership in Jackson Heights, who called the city’s marketing efforts “very Manhattan-centered” and not really designed with neighborhoods like Jackson Heights in mind.
When asked, New York City’s Tourism & Conventions—the private, quasi-city-agency coordinating the global tourism marketing campaign for the World Cup—didn’t address the language barrier issue, but pointed to other outreach efforts.
That included distributing its World Cup toolkit to 77 BIDs citywide, as well as to the five borough chambers of commerce, borough tourism councils, Economic Development Corporations, borough presidents, City Council members, and merchant associations.
As of the end of May, Manhattan businesses made up the majority of those participating in the Five Borough Winners Special, with 458 establishments, while The Bronx has the lowest involvement, with only 20 establishments.
“There’s a lot of focus put on Manhattan, but there’s also a lot more that needs to be done for the Bronx in terms of tourism,” said Suarez.
“They are doing the five free events across the city, but I’ll say even that is disappointing because the Bronx is only getting two days, which is pretty ridiculous when you consider just how many people in the Bronx are soccer fans, especially the heavy immigrant population that is totally, you know, super invested in the World Cup,” he added.
Local businesses are running their own initiatives to attract residents and tourists. The manager at Hairo’s Nightclub, a long, dark bar on Roosevelt Avenue and 82nd Street, said they’ll televise the games and give away drinks and team jerseys. Andrea Prada, the co-owner of Cora Fusion restaurant, was filming videos for social media to promote upcoming World Cup parties featuring a DJ, themed gifts and other surprises.
Michelle Mendez, owner of Florence Prime Diner in Elmhurst, said she signed up a few days ago to receive the city’s World Cup commemorative cups, which feature designs for each borough. She’s one of more than 700 people who’ve ordered the cups, according to a spokesperson for NYC Tourism, who added that registration will remain open through early July.
“We may purchase more, depending if they’re really—if they’re gone,” Mendez said.
Other businesses in the area said they’ll continue to do what they’ve done during previous World Cups. Naima Pharmacy, for example, has a TV in its window to broadcast the games for locals, so people can bring chairs and watch in front of the 37th Avenue shop.
“We need to find a new remote control, though,” one employee said in Spanish.
A couple of street vendors in the area have already switched from selling seasonal items like hats and sunglasses to capitalize on World Cup fever, peddling Colombia and Mexico team jerseys, tricolor hats and flags.
The big hit item among passersby, especially young people, are the 2026 FIFA World Cup Panini album and stickers, which feature images of different players that fans collect.City school children who’ve caught onto the craze are trading stickers with one another to complete their albums.
José Mesa selling World Cup stickers in Queens. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)
“This is my third World Cup doing this on this spot,” José Mesa said in Spanish, sitting at a small table on 82nd Street, where he was selling all 980 stickers in the collection, neatly arranged, including the three hardest-to-find players this year: Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, and France’s Kylian Mbappé. Each was selling for $30.
“It’s a good gig,” Mesa said after selling several packs of stickers. “Almost $100 in an hour.”
In Sunset Park, local BID Director David Estrada said he was worried over whether fear around federal immigration enforcement will dampen some of the usual World Cup hype.
The neighborhood is among those hardest hit by immigration raids and operations during Donald Trump’s second term, and local businesses have already felt the impact, as ICE’s presence keeps some potential customers at home.
“That’s where the fear has an impact, which is also economic, but it’s a social, cultural impact that’s very, very bad,” Estrada said.
Despite this, owners and BIDs remain optimistic about the World Cup’s potential to boost business. The New York Knicks—who head into the NBA finals this week for the first time in 27 years—have already generated $202 million in economic activity for the city in their postseason home games so far, officials said Wednesday.
“I’m hopeful,” Estrada said of a similar World Cup effect, “but it’s not a Sunset Park thing yet.”
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