The hype around Philly tourism in 2026 just got a boost from the Wall Street Journal, which has the city ranked atop its list of the world’s best places to visit next year.
With the nation’s 250th birthday celebration, March Madness, World Cup and MLB All-Star Game all on Philly’s calendar, the WSJ editors said the city is poised to be a preferred destination.
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Spain’s Basque Country, noted for its art museums and Gothic cathedrals, and the Okavango Delta in Botswana round out the top three. The only other U.S. city to make the list is Tulsa, Oklahoma, touted at No. 7 for next year’s centennial celebrations around the creation of the “Mother Road” Route 66.
In addition to six NCAA March Madness games at Xfinity Mobile Arena next year, Philadelphia will host six World Cup matches at Lincoln Financial Field in June and July with a five-week FIFA Fan Festival planned at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park. The last match at the Linc, a Round of 16 knockout, will take place on the Fourth of July as semiquincentennial celebrations unfold citywide. Citizens Bank Park will then host the MLB All-Star Game on July 14, wrapping up what the WSJ calls “four wild months” for Philadelphia.
The outlet’s blurb notes that the city’s Museum of the American Revolution just finished a major renovation and the National Constitution Center is prepping two new galleries about the nation’s founding. Independence Hall is temporarily closed as the National Park Service gets the historic building ready for next year, and work is also underway to spruce up an alley that will serve as a pedestrian walkway between Fourth and Market streets next summer. Other plans include the installation of replica Liberty Bells in neighborhoods throughout the city to help tell Philadelphia’s story.
The city has budgeted about $120 million for improvements and preparations surrounding special events in 2026, including $45 million for partner organizations and more than $70 million for city services and public safety.
An economic impact study commissioned by Visit Philadelphia, the city’s official tourism arm, projects the city will generate an extra $1.3 billion to $2.5 billion above a typical year due to the expected influx of visitors in 2026. The study estimates increased visitation could support as many as 17,100 jobs in the region next year and bring in between $40-80 million additional tax revenue from visitor spending.
Econsult Solutions Inc., the firm that carried out the study, said next year’s sporting events alone could generate over $1 billion in total economic activity for the region next year. Aronimink Golf Club in Delaware County will host the PGA Championship in May, marking its return to the course for the first time since 1962. That event alone is expected to bring in about 200,000 attendees to the region over the course of the week.
The latest nod from the WSJ adds to a growing list of travel endorsements for Philadelphia. Travel & Leisure named the city one of its 50 best to visit next year, BBC Travel put it in their top 20 and National Geographic named it one of its top nine in the U.S. to visit to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.