With World Cup, Brazilian-Owned Businesses in NYC See Highest Profits Since Opening

Brazilian merchants with stores selling national products in Manhattan, New York, say the 2026 World Cup generated the highest profits in their businesses’ history. Bahian Marcela Ferreira, owner of Búzios —which calls itself the oldest Brazilian store in the U.S.— says revenue doubled in the first week of the tournament, the highest in her 20 years running the establishment.

Brazilian Market NYC, on the Upper East Side, also recorded its highest revenue ever. An employee said the store ran out of storage space and everything was sold during the first week. Maria Bonita Salon, in Soho, saw revenue grow 35% since the start of the World Cup, driven by high demand for hair and manicure services.

The peak in demand came on the Thursday and Friday before Brazil’s debut on June 13 at MetLife Stadium, in the New York metropolitan area. The stores sell jerseys, flags, Havaianas, bikinis, pão de queijo, coxinhas, requeijão and Engov — a "bestseller" among foreigners.

The audience is diverse: Brazilians, Americans and tourists from other nationalities. "This mix here is unique," jokes an American customer who lived in Brazil for ten years. Sales remain strong, with expectations of another increase if the national team returns to New York in later rounds.

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