The World Cup will take over venues across North America this summer at a global scale, with matches at 16 venues across the continent. While organizers and venue operators are hard at work getting ready for this summer, the real opportunity lies in showcasing stadiums as the top spot to host future events. The World Cup will double as a live audition to host mega-events for the next decade, including the 2031 Women’s World Cup, Super Bowls, Savannah Bananas games and other specialty events, concerts and more.

Additionally, as sports-anchored real estate developments play an increasing role in value creation for teams and a core in urban development, the World Cup is an opportunity to showcase the next stage of development at each location. Further, teams across the country are taking advantage of larger venues, where they can maximize capacity for marquee matches. I attended an Inter Miami vs. D.C. United match last month at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, which hosted 72,000 fans, far more than Audi Field’s 20,000 seats could hold.

Operators and their host cities must focus their efforts on the game-day experience, facilitating future sports-anchored mixed-use developments, and security challenges to host successful events and also to win future mega-events. Here’s the blueprint:

Sports fans increasingly come for the game-day experience in addition to cheering on teams. When venues compete with 100-inch TVs, every part of the game-day experience is essential, both at the venue and in the area around it. So, where should the focus be?

Top-level, on-site entertainment is key. Many facilities will open new clubs and other amenities just in time for the World Cup — they must operate flawlessly without the........

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