Goldman Sachs' latest research report: The World Cup is not only a feast for football fans, but also a "highlight moment" for these US stock sectors.

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. published a research report stating that this year's FIFA World Cup held in North America during the summer is expected to be a significant catalyst for many American stocks. The opening match of this World Cup will start on June 11, and the final will be staged on July 19. The United States will host 78 matches, while Mexico and Canada will host 13 each. Analysts at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. said that with global soccer fans flocking to host cities, watching the games and gathering to watch, consumer-facing sectors such as tourism, leisure, media, and beverage industries are expected to see the most significant positive impact. Airlines, hotels, and booking platforms have already shown signs of benefiting, with international bookings for this summer increasing compared to last year. At the same time, media groups and broadcasters are expected to benefit from premium advertising space thanks to sports events broadcasting; digital platforms can attract brand investments through real-time interaction and betting excitement. In addition, with a surge in cross-border travel, ticketing and entertainment consumption remain active, and payment networks and credit card issuers are also important beneficiaries of the World Cup economy. In the American consumer and travel sectors, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. specifically mentioned Booking Holdings (BKNG.US), Expedia (EXPE.US), and Airbnb, Inc. Class A (ABNB.US), which have strong presence in the accommodation and experiential travel sectors in North America and Europe. In the aviation sector, with a strong transatlantic and inter-American route network, Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL.US), United Airlines (UAL.US), and American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL.US) are expected to be core beneficiaries of World Cup passenger demand. In the hotel and gambling operators sector, Marriott International (MAR.US), Hilton Worldwide (HLT.US), and MGM Resorts International (MGM.US) are highly recommended. These companies usually have strong pricing power during major events, and they have an advantage in some host cities where housing supply is limited. In the payment sector, Visa (V.US) and MasterCard (MA.US) are seen as strong winners in terms of certainty. In the beverage sector, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is optimistic about giants such as Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Sponsored ADR (BUD.US), Heineken (HEINY.US), Coca-Cola Company (KO.US), and Coca-Cola Company Europe The Pacific (CCEP.US) that deeply penetrate the European and American markets. Historical data shows that during major football events, the sales volume of these companies' beverages in the channel usually significantly increases. In the sports brand sector, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. believes that NIKE, Inc. Class B (NKE.US) is expected to gain more attention and market share in the global soccer market due to its scale advantage, innovation capability, and wholesale network. At the same time, companies like Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (DKS.US) and Academy (ASO.US) have already started stocking World Cup-related goods in their stores. Other companies that are expected to achieve sales growth through sports marketing include Ralph Lauren (RL.US), PVH Corp. (PVH.US), and Lululemon (LULU.US) among others.