The world’s biggest sporting event is touching down in North America in less than a month. and according to a massive new data analysis, the traffic logistics in several host cities might be heading for a red card.
While Indianapolis isn’t hosting a 2026 World Cup match this summer, there is one thing the Circle City understands better than almost anywhere else: how to move massive crowds. From the Indianapolis 500 to the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend and massive Olympic trials, Indy’s local infrastructure is constantly put to the test.
A new report from Geotab Inc., a global leader in connected transportation, suggests that the metropolises preparing for this summer’s soccer tournament might want to take a page out of Indy’s playbook.
World Cup host city rankings
Geotab recently analyzed billions of vehicle data points from June and July 2025 — which included periods of major sporting and public events — to gauge the readiness of the 16 World Cup host cities. The goal was to see how road networks perform when sudden surges in activity put extreme pressure on pedestrian movement, commercial deliveries, and day-to-day traffic.
Each city was scored out of 10 based on four weighted metrics:
- Congestion (35%): How smoothly traffic flows near the stadium on a typical weekday.
- Safety (25%): Tracking risky behaviors like speeding, harsh braking and harsh acceleration.
- Resilience (25%): How well the network holds up during big events compared to non-event days.
- Idle time (15%): Time wasted stationary with the engine running.
- The results paint a highly concerning picture for several major markets.
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, a suburb of Boston, was the only venue to score above an 8 out of 10, earning an 8.01. Meanwhile, 10 of the 16 host cities scored below 7.
The bottom of the barrel features some of the continent’s largest media markets. SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (4.76), BC Place in Vancouver (4.46), and BMO Field in Toronto (3.99) recorded the worst overall readiness scores.
Perhaps most concerning for tournament organizers is the “resilience” metric. Both Los Angeles and Atlanta scored 0.9 out of 10 in this category, indicating a severe inability to absorb large crowds without triggering significant disruption to the broader road network.
The cost of gridlock
“The world’s most popular sport is coming to cities across North America, putting the infrastructure of many cities through the ultimate pressure test this summer,” Vice President of Data & Analytics at Geotab Mike Branch said. “The challenge is moving people, goods and services during massive events. Everyone is impacted.”
That impact is already being felt in the anxiety of everyday commuters. Geotab surveyed 3,000 drivers across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, finding that the vast majority reported feeling deeply stressed while driving on the day of a major event. In the U.S., 79% of respondents reported increased stress on event days. In comparison, 76% expressed concern about the financial impact of wasted fuel from delays and idling.
“Drivers are right to be concerned about the impact of major events on their day-to-day lives,” Branch said. “What this data does is show city officials and planners where road networks are likely to come under pressure, and what they could be preparing for before the tournament begins.”
This data serves as a case study for Indianapolis. As a city whose economic engine relies heavily on our reputation as a premier event-hosting capital of the country, our road resilience is our greatest asset.
When hundreds of thousands of people descend on Marion County for a convention or a championship game, our grid must absorb the blow without paralyzing local commerce. Over the coming weeks, I will be reaching out to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), the Indiana Sports Corp, and local public safety officials to examine how Indianapolis maintains the infrastructure “resilience” these World Cup cities currently lack.
Because while the globe’s eyes might be on Toronto and Los Angeles this summer, the blueprint for moving those masses is written right here in Indianapolis.
Contact multimedia & senior sports reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more, visit indianapolisrecorder.com
Noral Parham is the multi-media reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
