When the UK and Ireland were confirmed as hosts for the Euros in 2028, economists at Deloitte estimated the tournament would provide a £2.6 billion boost for the economy.
While fans travel over from different corners of Europe to cheer their teams on, the surge in spending will likely filter into multiple facets of the economy from the local coffee shops where punters can grab a pre-match beverage to the billion-pound stadiums which will house the games.
Euro 2028 Source: The FA
But which industries are set to benefit the most?
Broadcast
Upwards of 80,000 can fit in Wembley Stadium, not nearly enough seats for the abundance of fans watching from Britain and Ireland, let alone for football enthusiasts around the world.
That’s where broadcasting comes in and if Premier League clubs are anything to go by, this could bring in huge sums of cash.
Last year's treble winners Manchester City received £294 million from broadcasts during the 2022/23 season, making up around 40% of total revenues when taking into account sales from advertising and matchdays.
Like normal for the UK, the Euros will be broadcasted by the BBC and ITV PLC (LSE:ITV), with the split of rights dished out equally – similar to the Qatar World Cup – with both broadcasters airing their own versions of the final.
Almost 20 million Brits tuned into the World Cup final between Argentina and France late last year, with 14.9 million opting for the Gary Lineker-led BBC broadcast while 4.3 million were happy to sit through occasional adverts to view the match on ITV.
Can England recover from 2021's heartbreak? Source: The Telegraph
Back in June 2021 when the Euros were in full flow, ITV revealed it brought in around £1.55 billion in ad revenue – the most in a single month in the company’s history.
Transport
Whizzing from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London to Hampden Park in Glasgow isn’t going to be ideal for fans hoping to catch all their national games, with the 400-mile trip just one example of how stretched out the stadiums are.
Spanning five nations, the tournament will be contested in ten different stadiums and with no more HS2 up north to help fans head up to Manchester’s Etihad Stadium some of the other transport operators could be set to benefit.
Trainline PLC (LSE:TRN) is a perfect example, providing tickets for nearly every train service across the country, the group is well-positioned to take advantage of the hordes of travelling fans.
Speaking to Proactive the company revealed: "We know that major sporting events can boost demand for rail from international visitors, as we've seen in France over the past month from the Rugby World Cup.
“We're expecting the same next year from the Olympics in Paris and Euros in Germany, and we’re looking forward to making it easy for thousands of international visitors to get to games when Euro 2028 comes to the UK.”
France's Rugby World Cup is in full swing Source: The New York Times
Also, investors shouldn’t forget to keep an eye out for food kiosk company SSP Group plc (LSE:SSPG), as the group’s 2,800 catering and retail units situated in train stations and airports could receive a boost as travellers opt for a sandwich at Upper Crust or a cookie from Millie’s.
Sports Data
Maybe a lesser-known industry tethered to the world of football is sports data, with the onus on tech firms to understand how they can best make use of it during the events.
4GLOBAL PLC (AIM:4GBL) is a London-listed firm doing exactly that, providing clients with insights into how sports can affect governments, cities, federations, and everyday people following a large event.
During the World Cup last year, the group’s shares soared after obtaining numerous contracts relating to the tournament, with one deal valued at £200,000.