Chattanooga bills itself as a “Soccer Town,” but that didn’t shield it from criticism about using public money for the 2026 World Cup. While the Tennessee city didn’t host any matches, it served as the base camp for Spain‘s national team during the group stage, which required an outlay of $600,000 in security costs.
Yet the community felt the benefits almost immediately. The Royal Spanish Football Federation alone booked 184 rooms hotel rooms, fully occupying the Embassy Suites in Downtown Chattanooga, and that doesn’t account for the fans who came into town to support La Roja or stayed in the area because of its proximity to Atlanta.
Mayor Tim Kelly said Chattanooga’s hotel owners and restaurateurs described the impact as “significant,” while also soapboxing about the positive mentions of his city on the internet, which he noted “went through the roof globally.”
“That’s hard to put a number on,” Kelly said. “But I think I would certainly put a number higher than $600,000 on it.”
Though the World Cup is set to end on Sunday, as Spain faces Argentina in the tournament final, Chattanooga stands to gain from its hospitality in at least one other way. The city is home to an MLS Next Pro club, one of a few minor league sports teams in town. Hosting one of the most prolific international soccer programs could boost Chattanooga FC for years to come, minting the “Scenic City” as a destination for players, raising its profile among sponsors and fostering a fanbase that just broke an attendance record with more than 6,000 spectators at a July match.
