World Cup scouting report: Philadelphia brings a sense of US history to global matches

CoStar News examined each FIFA World Cup host city and what the tournament June 11-July 19 could mean for local infrastructure, real estate, tourism and economic development long before the first soccer match is played. Find links to all the markets here.

The FIFA World Cup is coming to 16 North American cities, including several that will be hosting the global soccer extravaganza for the first time.

Among the new host cities are some that played major roles in the formation of today’s United States and are now among the most important real estate markets.

That includes Philadelphia, an early U.S. capital from 1790 to 1800 that today is a key logistics market and corporate office hub. It’s also the city that produced the first soccer player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Here is CoStar News’ scouting report:

Philadelphia was chartered in 1701, long before the Declaration of Independence was signed there in 1776.

Today it has the sixth-largest U.S. population and ranks ninth in metropolitan area population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city covers a relatively small area of just over 134 miles, with a population density only surpassed in the U.S. by New York and Chicago.

Philadelphia’s tallest building is the 1,112-foot-tall Comcast Technology Center. The 60-story office tower at 1800 Arch St. opened in 2018.

Such skyscrapers were once unthinkable as an unwritten rule in the city prevented the construction of any structure rising above the statue of Pennsylvania founder William Penn that tops City Hall, or 548 feet tall.

That changed when architect Helmut Jahn’s two-tower Liberty Place was approved in the 1980s. One Liberty Place, which opened in 1987, rose to 945 feet and remained the tallest point in Philadelphia for 21 years. There are now two taller towers.

Just two Philadelphia companies made the 2025 list of largest U.S. corporations: Comcast and Aramark. The Pennsylvania suburbs are home to Cencora in Conshohocken, Lincoln National in Radnor, Universal Health Services in King of Prussia and Toll Brothers in Fort Washington. Philadelphia’s New Jersey suburbs are home to Burlington Stores in Burlington and Campbell’s in Camden.

Philadelphia has long been an important industrial real estate market because of its strategic location between New York and Washington, D.C.

The median sale price for a single-family home is well below $400,000, according to Homes.com.

Retail rents fell in the downtown core in 2025 and into this year, according to CoStar data. That is in part because Center City's vintage buildings have faced newer competition in adjacent neighborhoods, such as Northern Liberties, Fishtown and University City.

Hoteliers in Philadelphia are expecting a big year in 2026 with six World Cup matches, plus Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game and two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball March Madness and the return of the cruise industry to the city. Total room nights are not only expected to return to pre-COVID-19 levels; they are also expected to set an all-time high, according to a CoStar report.

The host venue will be Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia.

Built in 2003, it is home to the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, who won the Super Bowl in 2018 and 2025.

Because of FIFA policies that require neutral naming to avoid conflicts with World Cup sponsors, the stadium will temporarily be referred to as Philadelphia Stadium during the tournament.

This year's World Cup competition features national team heavyweights Brazil and France, among others, in the group stage round.

The Philadelphia Atoms captured the championship of the now-defunct National American Soccer League in 1973, the team's inaugural season.

The team featured a primarily American lineup, a rarity at the time, led by star goalkeeper Bob Rigby, who was born in nearby Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. After the championship, Rigby became the first soccer player to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Soccer legend Pelé didn’t appear on the cover until June 1975.