Global week ahead: Soccer isn't the only thing that's kicking off

Argentina's forward #10 Lionel Messi kicks the ball during the Qatar 2022 World Cup final football match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, north of Doha on December 18, 2022.

Kirill Kudryavtsev | Afp | Getty Images

There is a special type of fever around a men's soccer World Cup. And the 2026 edition of the tournament is causing even more excitement, with 48 teams instead of the usual 32, and three host nations instead of the usual one.

Matches will stretch from Vancouver to Mexico City from June 11 to July 19, marking the first time the games are being hosted in North America since 1994.

There will be winners and losers on and off the pitch. Goldman Sachs predicts the main sector beneficiaries will include European and U.S. consumer staples, U.S. retail, and hospitality firms. But the investment bank also warns that "while the World Cup is undoubtedly a major commercial event, it does not necessarily follow that the macroeconomic impact on the host nations will be substantial or long-lasting."

The World Cup could boost these equity sectors, according to Deutsche and Goldman

What are the odds

Deutsche Bank analysts believe sports betting platforms also stand to benefit. But a battle could be brewing between the traditional bookmakers and the ever-growing prediction markets. This is the first World Cup where Polymarket and Kalshi are now significant forces in the sports betting space.

While billions are expected to tune into the matches, it's not just soccer that's kicking off next week...

AI offside

Investors will be carefully watching AI stocks after a volatile set of trading days. U.S. semiconductor giant Broadcom sparked a sell-off across the global chip space after issuing a disappointing forecast for its AI chip sales.

Expect more headlines from London Tech Week, which gets underway on Monday. Anthropic's announcement of its highly anticipated IPO, as well as any updates from OpenAI on its plans to go public, will top the agenda.

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Private market own goal

Shooting for the stars

As billions watch the soccer, all eyes will also be on the market as one of the most anticipated IPOs of all time takes off on Friday.

SpaceX will hope to shoot for the stars on Friday when it lists in what is set to be the largest-ever public sale of shares.

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The path to going public for Elon Musk's mega company has been as dramatic as any World Cup final — an unprecedented move to price at exactly $135 a share, a sky-high valuation of $1.7 trillion, a reality check from the S&P over entry requirements, and a push to reach an unprecedented number of retail investors. That's all alongside its ambition to colonize Mars.

So as nations start their quest for World Cup glory, investors are also set to get their fill of market moments.

What to watch this week:

Monday: London Tech Week

Tuesday: SuperReturn Berlin

Wednesday: SuperReturn Berlin

Thursday: ECB monetary policy decision

Friday: SpaceX IPO

Disclosure: CNBC and Kalshi have a commercial relationship that includes customer acquisition and a minority investment.