MLB World Tour: London Series 2023 gives £53M boost to London's economy

• MLB World Tour: London Series 2023 generated nearly £53 million economic impact for the London economy

• Rest of UK benefitted by £7.68 million

• 110,000 tickets sold with 21,000 (19%) from the USA

• 90% thought hosting major sports events are beneficial to London and the UK

• Link to images of the MLB matches here and timelapse video of transformation at London Stadium to create the MLB London Series here

London received a boost worth nearly £53 million to its economy after Major League Baseball returned to London Stadium in June 2023 after a four-year break with two back-to-back matches between the St Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. 

According to an impact study undertaken by Two Circles, the MLB London Series 2023 resulted in a boost of more than £60m to the UK’s economy as a whole. 

The study, undertaken following the two games played between the Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals on 24 and 25 June 2023 at London Stadium on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, highlights the huge impact the event had on local, regional and national economies. The survey was completed by more than 6,200 fans over the two event days.

The new study confirms that the London 2012 legacy continues to contribute to the UK economy with Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its venues attracting millions of visitors and high profile events every year. Abba Voyage, for example, has attracted more than 1.5million visitors since it opened in 2022 and in one November weekend this year there was international sport at Lee Valley VeloPark and Copper Box Arena alongside Premier League football at London Stadium. 

The study found that:

• 110,000 tickets were sold for the two-game MLB series with many more taking part in pre-game activations and events held across the capital.

• Of those, 19 per cent travelled from the United States and 10 per cent from other countries around the world. 33 per cent of visitors travelled from somewhere in the UK outside London and 38 per cent came from London.

• The MLB London Series 2023 contributed a total economic benefit of nearly £53 million to the London economy and £7.68 million to the rest of the UK – this includes spending on accommodation, food and drink, travel and retail. 

• The average satisfaction score from attendees was much higher than the industry average at 8.77 out of 10.

Today’s figures follow studies of previous sporting events at London Stadium. The Mitel & MLB Present London Series 2019 generated £37m for London’s economy. The 2017 World Athletics Championships held at London Stadium brought in more than £100 million to the wider UK economy. For both the baseball and athletics events, the flexible multi-use ability of London Stadium means it can be used for global events which benefit the wider economy.

The study found that of those who travelled around the country before and after the event, 53% visited England and 37% visited Scotland. Greater Manchester and Merseyside were the top destinations in England. 

The visits resulted in £3.8m of direct consumer spend in England outside London, £2.8m in Scotland, £515k in Wales and £306k in Northern Ireland.  

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "I am delighted that the return of MLB to the London Stadium this summer has been a huge success. London is the sporting capital of the world, and I am proud that we have been able to play host to a series that has boosted interest in baseball and benefitted the economy across the capital. Londoners and visitors can now look forward to next summer’s matches as we continue building a better and more prosperous London for everyone.“

Lyn Garner, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “London Stadium has shown yet again its ability to attract not only the greatest sporting and entertainment events but also visitors from around the globe. The flexibility of the venue means we can host events as varied as Premier League football, music concerts, Major League Baseball and international athletics, all in the matter of a few weeks. London Stadium has one of the busiest and most varied programmes of any venue of similar size in the world and continues to deliver for London and the UK.”

Laura Citron, Chief Executive of London & Partners, added: “Major events are serious business for the capital. It’s not just the ticket sales and what attendees do in the stadium. Blockbuster sporting events attract visitors from around the world who stay in our hotels, enjoy our restaurants and bars, go shopping and spend in our theatres and museums. We’ve got exceptional sports venues and transport links so this is a real competitive advantage for London that we are focused on growing.”

Graham Gilmore, Chief Executive of London Stadium, said: “We understood the importance of bringing MLB back to London for the wider economy, not only here in the capital but across the UK. Securing the multi-year agreement means we can build year on year success for the London Series, delivering world-class baseball at our venue while helping to grow the game across Europe.”