Spain hoisted the World Cup trophy Sunday, closing out a five-week tournament that left Miami Beach counting its wins off the field.

Miami-Dade County officials announced Monday that the five-week tournament drew more than 500,000 visitors to South Florida and generated a preliminary $1.3 billion in economic impact from hotel stays, restaurant spending, shopping and transportation. The final figure is still being calculated.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said the county's seven matches drew 424,000 fans and resulted in just 36 arrests. Attendance extended well beyond the stadium: The FIFA Fan Festival at Bayfront Park brought in roughly 600,000 visitors over the tournament's run, and the Metromover set a ridership record, carrying more than 836,000 passengers, according to Stacy Miller, executive director of Miami-Dade's Department of Transportation and Public Works.

Locally, the city of Miami Beach hosted more than a dozen free watch parties at the Sand Bowl adjacent to the Bandshell at 7275 Collins Ave. in North Beach and at Lummus Park on Ocean Drive and 14th Street in South Beach. The Sand Bowl hosted the Bronze Final screening Saturday, July 18, and the World Cup Final watch party Sunday, July 19, with gates opening at 1 p.m. and kickoff at 3 p.m.

In a July 16 news release previewing the finals weekend, Mayor Steven Meiner said the city had "the privilege of welcoming soccer fans from all over the world during World Cup 2026" and touted free water taxi service and shuttle buses connecting both watch party sites. The city ran the water taxi every 30 minutes between Venetian Marina and Maurice Gibb Memorial Park for the championship weekend.

Commissioner Joseph Magazine said in a June 19 city announcement that hosting local events around the biggest matches was a priority for Miami Beach.

Lincoln Road served as Miami Beach's "Fan Central" during the tournament, hosting live match screenings and the official World Cup retail store at 1006 Lincoln Road. The Reefline installation transformed Lummus Park into an immersive arena from June 14 through June 28 as part of the Miami Host Committee's legacy program.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava highlighted free youth soccer clinics held in communities across the county during the tournament, including North Miami, Homestead, Miami Gardens, Little Havana and Doral.

The commission is already looking at how to sustain that momentum locally. On June 24, the Miami Beach City Commission referred a proposal to its Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee to consider additional annual funding for Miami Beach FC, the city's travel soccer team, as part of the fiscal 2027 budget. Commissioner Tanya K. Bhatt sponsored the referral, and a committee hearing date has not yet been set.