Host city, Belgium · Conference League
Ghent
Whole-event economic activation of fixtures hosted, season 2026–27 to date, 1 fixture In progress
Football fixtures hosted in Ghent have activated €0.60m in the city's real economy in the season 2026–27 to date, across 1 fixture, ranking 169th among host cities assessed by Reputation League.
Season brief · 2026–27, through 15 Oct 2026
Ghent: €0.6m of Economic Activation From Football in 2026–27
The 1 match hosted in Ghent in the 2026–27 season through 15 Oct 2026 generated €600,000 for the city's real economy, according to Reputation League. Ghent ranks 169th among European host cities assessed and 4th in Belgium. Over the full 2024–25 season, football generated €1.7 million in Ghent across 4 matches.
Hospitality accounted for €330,000, transport €140,000, retail €80,000 and accommodation €50,000. The matches drew 11,800 spectators, including 221 international visitors, and about 383 overnight stays.
KAA Gent's 1 home match accounted for €600,000. The largest single match was KAA Gent–Aarhus Gymnastikforening (UEFA Conference League, 15 Oct 2026) at €600,000.
| Season 2026–27, through 15 Oct 2026 | €600,000 | 1 match |
|---|---|---|
| Season 2024–25, full season | €1.7 million | 4 matches |
| International visitors, season to date | 221 |
Source: Reputation League, Economic Activation Platform (FEAF v3), season 2026–27 through 15 Oct 2026. Host cities, tourism bodies, clubs and the press may reuse this brief and its image, citing Reputation League as the source.
Latest signals
- Conference League Matches Average €950,000 in Their Host Cities, 100% More Than at the Same Date of 2025-26European Nights, 13–15 Oct
- Champions League Accounts for 57% of €94.7m in Economic Activation on Oct. 13-15 European NightsEuropean Nights, 13–15 Oct
- Versus average 2016–2024
- −7%
- Last full season, 2024–25
- €1.7m
- Average 2016–2024
- €3.0m
Economic activation per fixture: €0.60m against an average of €0.65m
Rank 129, 4 fixtures
Per season, 5 seasons, COVID-affected seasons excluded
Analytics
Ghent is running 14% ahead of its usual pace after 1 fixtures
Cumulative economic activation fixture by fixture, season in progress, against the 2016–2025 range (5 seasons, COVID-affected seasons excluded). A usual full season closes near €4.1m.
View data
| Fixture | This season | Usual pace |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €0.60m | €0.53m |
Ghent is hospitality-led: 56% of economic activation, against 38% across all host cities
Share of real economy activation by sector, season 2026–27 to date.
View data
| Sector | Ghent | All host cities |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | 7.8% | 24.2% |
| Hospitality | 55.5% | 38.3% |
| Transport | 23.1% | 25.6% |
| Retail | 13.5% | 11.9% |
Fixtures with the highest economic activation, 2026–27
Full city report
Available on request to host cities, regional authorities and tourism bodies.
- Fixture-level assessment (1 fixture in 2026–27)
- Breakdown by competition and by sector: accommodation, hospitality, transport, retail
- Historical series since 2016 and peer benchmarking
- Sources, inputs and confidence level for each figure