Malaysia And ASEAN To Reap Spillover Benefits From FIFA World Cup 2026

By Fatin Umairah Abdul Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is set to gain from the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition starting this week in areas such as digital commerce, media consumption, payments, logistics and cross-border business, a top foreign banker said today.

Bank of America Malaysia country executive Gautam Puntambekar said the spillover benefits to Malaysia and ASEAN member countries would come from increased economic activities and opportunities arising from the US$41 billion (US$1 = RM4.06) in global gross domestic product (GDP) and the 800,000 jobs worldwide the football tournament would generate.

He told Bernama, in a virtual interview from New York, that the tournament's multiplier effect extends well beyond tourism, hospitality and ticketing, as it will drive spending and business activity across multiple sectors while enhancing global connectivity and commercial opportunities.

The World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, and feature an expanded field of 48 teams, up from 32 in previous editions.

Bank of America is the first-ever Official Bank Sponsor of the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup.

Argentina is the defending champion, while the curtain-raiser game will be played in Mexico City between Mexico and South Africa on June 11, which will be Friday, June 12, in Malaysia, which is 14 hours ahead of the South American city.

Despite the geographical distance and time-zone differences, Puntambekar said opportunities for Malaysia and ASEAN countries remain significant, given football's strong and established fan base, even though no ASEAN nation has qualified for the tournament.

An ardent supporter of Argentina and its star player, Lionel Messi, he said the team's World Cup defence will be difficult but added, “I’m still rooting for Argentina to hopefully win it a second time in a row.”

Puntambekar pointed out that in today's digital and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven economy, the World Cup generates demand across content consumption, consumer products, marketing, payments, foreign exchange services, data infrastructure and supply chains; all of which benefit from heightened fan engagement, commercial campaigns and digital transactions.

“It creates the ability for fans to watch matches not only on television but also on mobile devices.

“That combination of fandom, social viewing and digital engagement is why the benefits are reflected in media consumption, digital commerce, sponsorship value, and cross-border payments, even in markets far from the tournament venues," he said.

Digital economy and football industry trends

He said the tournament's impact also extends beyond sport to technology, raising the importance of cyber resilience and highlighting the growing role of AI, digital identity, cloud infrastructure, and real-time analytics in modern commerce.

“It is a live demonstration of how commerce, technology and culture can converge and move together in the same direction," he said.

According to Research and Markets, Ireland's largest market research provider, the global football market was valued at US$3.5 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach US$4.8 billion by 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.32 per cent from 2026 to 2034.

Puntambekar said the Malaysia Super League viewership increased by more than 20 per cent over the past two seasons to nearly 24 million views, supported by a loyal fan base of 8.2 million followers, underscoring the strong popularity of domestic football among Malaysians.

Against this backdrop, Bank of America sees its FIFA partnership as an opportunity to support the financial infrastructure underpinning one of the world's largest sporting events.

As an official FIFA sponsor, he said the bank's role extends beyond brand visibility, with the partnership centred on community impact, financial infrastructure, and helping connect fans with the tournament through meaningful experiences.

Strengthening global payments infrastructure

He said Bank of America's global payments platform is built to support the scale and complexity of such an event, with operations spanning more than 230 countries and territories, processing transactions in over 140 currencies and handling approximately US$1.6 trillion in payments daily.

"Operationally, a global event of this size and scale depends on the resilience of payment systems, foreign exchange services, treasury connectivity and the security of the digital client experience.

"This aligns closely with Bank of America's global payment solutions, which offer a single platform with strong security and access controls, application programming interface (API) connectivity, and real-time cross-border payment capabilities," he said.

In practical terms, he added that Bank of America helps clients and counterparties move money securely, manage risk, and improve transaction visibility amid growing demand for cross-border transactions.

"Malaysia can leverage these experiences and lessons to further strengthen and enhance its own digital infrastructure," he said.

-- BERNAMA