World Cup fever is real. This CEO is betting it’s not fleeting

In today’s CEO Daily: An interview with the CEO trying to capitalize on the World Cup frenzy.

The big leadership story: Xbox’s CEO hits reset.

The markets: Mixed globally as investors dump chip stocks in Asia.

Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

Good morning. So far, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a win: record-breaking TV audiences, sellout crowds, exuberant tourists, and solid performances from the three host countries despite them all losing in the round of 16. The games are a boon for the players, too, with FIFA set to distribute a record $871 million to the 48 competing teams. The question is what it will do for the economy of the host cities, for sponsors, and for a sport that’s surpassed baseball in popularity in the U.S. but remains far behind basketball and football. 

Global events, however fleeting, can create a turning point for a destination, sport or product. The 1988 Seoul Olympics famously showcased Korea as a fast-growing Asian Tiger economy while development for the Barcelona Games four years later is credited with transforming the Spanish city from an industrial port to a tourism hub. As the world’s most popular broadcast sport, with some 3.5 billion fans, World Cup soccer could be a similar opportunity. The question is how to capitalize on it.

One leader who’s trying to use this moment to transform the sport is Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, the CEO and founder of Next 3, which invests in a range of sports properties. Among them: Gotham FC, a professional women’s soccer team based in New Jersey and New York that’s currently the reigning champion of the National Women’s Soccer League. “The World Cup has been a massive success........

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