HOUSTON – A Grambling State University student working at a Houston café and a century-old downtown hotel are among the local businesses feeling the financial impact of FIFA World Cup 2026 and the numbers tell the story.
Mia Gordwin works at Day and Night Wall Street Café, located on the corner of Almeda Road, not far from the Houston stadium that hosted FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. The café has seen a 30% increase in sales since the tournament began.
“Definitely Thursday through Sunday we get packed, we just get a big huge rush, everybody comes down from the Fan Festival to eat, we’re talking Mexico and Canada,” Gordwin said.
The boost was not just in foot traffic, it was felt in every corner of the café.
“We get packed up, but it’s been getting crazy packed, I’m talking like wrapped around packed,” she said.
Fusion flavors draw a global crowd
The café’s menu, a fusion of Chicago and Houston cuisine, gave international and domestic visitors a reason to stop in. Gordwin said the exposure went well beyond the restaurant’s beloved chicken and waffles.
“We’ve definitely had a boost, like lately, we’ve been having a lot of influencers come by, promoters, content creators,” Gordwin said.
Downtown hotel cashes in on FIFA fever
A few miles away in downtown Houston, the century-old Lancaster Hotel rolled out its own FIFA-themed experience. The hotel offered guests fans to beat the heat, Metro tickets and a customized FIFA World Cup cocktail made with Texas-raised honey.
The luxury hotel reported a 20% increase in sales compared to last summer, a welcome surge during what is traditionally a slower season.
“Because we heard that that would be as big as Super Bowl, we got super excited, but of course we did not have the Super Bowl numbers, but any occupancy is good in the summer, and we know everybody had a good time in Houston,” said Emre Ozsut of the Lancaster Hotel.
Business at the Lancaster largely depended on which teams were playing. The Fourth of July was a sellout, with Brazil’s matches and the Morocco-Canada game bringing in the most traffic.
A FIFA boom a college student won’t forget
For Gordwin, the experience goes beyond busy shifts and bigger tips. She already knows exactly what she plans to do with the extra income.
“Pay for my college…I graduate May 2027,” Gordwin said.
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