UEFA Women’s EURO 2025: The Economic Ripple Effect from Stadium to Storefront

This summer, Switzerland plays host to UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, a tournament that’s grown into one of the most dynamic sporting events in Europe.

A live environment for digital commerce

Major tournaments compress months’ worth of consumer behavior into just a few weeks. With fans traveling and spending across borders, we’ve been diving into our VisaNet data to gain a real-time view of how people are paying, what they buy, where they go, and how preferences shift in the moment.

For instance, last summer at one of the largest sporting events that took place in Europe, we saw upticks in contactless usage, strong year-on-year sales increases for small businesses in host cities, and a halo effect for smaller cities that have benefited from an influx of tourists.

These insights help Visa, and its partners understand how to better support merchants, improve digital infrastructure, and meet consumers where they are.

The first week of the tournament

Visa has released new data revealing consumer spending patterns during the first week of the tournament¹.

The number of travellers to Switzerland rose by 12% year-on-year during the opening week of the UEFA Women’s EURO:

• Visa cardholders from Germany represented the largest year-on-year increase of visitors (+25%), followed by Poland (+25%), Netherlands (+25%) the UK (+20%), Italy (+15%) and France (+10%). 
• Zurich experienced a notable increase in international arrivals, led by French Visa cardholders (30%), followed by those from Germany (20%) and the UK (+15%). 
• International travellers to most smaller host cities in Switzerland increased significantly. Sion saw the highest increase (65%), followed by Thun (50%) and St. Gallen (30%).

Fans - Spending Behaviours

• Visa Cardholders from countries participating in UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 spent over a quarter more (27%) on average year-on-year in Switzerland during the first week of the tournament. 
• The largest increase of overseas spend comes from Iceland with a nearly fivefold year-on-year increase, followed by Sweden (+70%), Poland (60%) and Finland (48%). 
• The most significant increases in spending levels in Switzerland were seen in restaurants (+35%) and on retail goods (+30%). 
• Contactless international purchases by Visa cardholders in Switzerland increased by 35% year-on-year.

Tournament Brings Positive Ripple Effect to Host Cities

Smaller Swiss cities hosting UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 matches experienced strong year-on-year growth in Visa cardholder spending, with notable increases in Sion and Thun (both +45%) and Bern (+25%).

Several key sectors benefited from this uptick in activity:

• Restaurant spending nearly doubled in Bern (up 97%) and saw strong growth in Lucerne (70%) and Basel (60%).
• Entertainment spending more than doubled in Sion (127%) and more than tripled in Thun (242%).
• Transportation spending in Zurich also rose significantly, up 40%.

Kim Kadlec, Chief Marketing Officer, Visa Europe commented: “Visa’s new data demonstrates that the passion of fans for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 is resonating far beyond Swiss stadiums. Our insights from the first week of the tournament show a powerful ripple effect, with an increase in real-time consumer spending across industries and borders. At Visa, we’re proud to play a role in this momentum, that brings benefits to small businesses and economies. By working with our partners and delivering seamless, secure payment experiences, we’re helping fans stay focused on the moments that matter most - cheering on their teams and creating lasting memories.”

Click to Pay helps fans score

As a trusted, secure, resilient, and reliable network, Visa can help make payments become more connected and seamless, so fans can focus on making memories and enjoy what they like the most.

Visa has products, solutions, and expertise that span the fan journey. This year, for the first time, Visa cardholders in Europe and the UK can use Visa Click to Pay to purchase tickets online through UEFA ticketing platforms, an enhancement with big impact that streamlines the checkout experience, reduces friction, and offers a secure way to pay online.

The Local Dividend

One of the most encouraging trends is the impact on local businesses. From cafés in Lucerne to retailers in Geneva, small and medium-sized enterprises are seeing a measurable lift in spend. Visa is working with partners to understand how digital readiness, like accepting contactless or mobile payments, helps these businesses to drive growth.

It’s a reminder that when the infrastructure is in place, the benefits of big events can be widely shared.