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The basics:

• Global Game Summit returns July 15 at Prudential Center in Newark
• Event takes place four days before FIFA World Cup Final
• Focus areas include soccer, AI, media, tech and investment
• Organizers see long-term business opportunities for NJ from World Cup

With the eyes of the sporting world on New Jersey as the state prepares to host the FIFA World Cup Final, organizers of the Global Game Summit see a larger opportunity unfolding beyond the tournament matches themselves.

The Global Game: The Future of Soccer, Tech & Media Summit will return July 15 to Prudential Center in Newark, bringing together leaders from across sports, media, technology and investment just four days before the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium July 19.

Organized by GK Digital Ventures in partnership with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the event builds on the inaugural summit held in 2025, which attracted participants from 28 countries. This year’s program will focus on topics ranging from ownership and investment to media rights, artificial intelligence, fan engagement, gaming and the continued rise of women’s soccer.

Building off the moment

For founder and New Jersey native Greg Kahn, the summit is designed to capitalize on a moment unlike any other in the state’s history. “The question isn’t whether the World Cup will be big. We know it is,” Kahn told NJBIZ. “It’s what New Jersey can build from it.”

That theme runs through both the summit’s agenda and Kahn’s broader vision for how New Jersey can leverage its role as host of eight World Cup matches, including the Final.

While much of the public conversation around the tournament has centered on transportation, ticketing and logistics, Kahn believes the long-term impact could be measured by the business relationships, investments and partnerships that emerge from the event.

“The opportunity for New Jersey is not just a few weeks of tourism,” said Kahn. “It’s about convening global attention into long-term business and investment and relationships.”

All eyes on NJ

The summit arrives with New Jersey at the center of unprecedented international attention. The World Cup Final is expected to draw one of the largest television audiences in sports (over 1 billion viewers), placing the state before a global audience measured in the hundreds of millions – in addition to the throngs of fans expected in the region throughout the tournament.

“Just imagine all eyes on New Jersey and what can be shown,” Kahn stressed.

According to Kahn, the summit’s return is rooted in lessons learned from its inaugural year.

“Last year, as the first year of Global Game, was about showcasing New Jersey, putting New Jersey on the map globally, for its sports, its business, its tech and its media ecosystems,” Kahn explained. “And I think we did that in that one day.”

The event was conceived as a business gathering rather than a fan festival, bringing together investors, club operators, media executives, technology companies, entrepreneurs and cultural influencers whose decisions increasingly shape the future of global soccer. Year one also featured several notable leaders including then-Gov. Phil Murphy and then-New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan, among others.

Key partner

The event’s partnership with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment has also been central to its development. HBSE, whose portfolio includes the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia 76ers and Prudential Center, returned as a partner for the second consecutive year. Kahn said the organization was a natural fit given its prominence in sports ownership and operations, along with the Newark arena’s growing role as a destination for major events that extend beyond sports and entertainment.

“They’re phenomenal partners,” said Kahn. “It’s really been a win-win. And to be able to do it in my backyard in New Jersey is really just a bonus.”

Comments from attendees reinforced the need for a gathering that connects multiple sectors rather than focusing exclusively on sports. “One of the feedback points was people really appreciated having a lot of media companies in the room, having brands that fund the media companies in the in the room, having culture creators in the room,” said Kahn.

That intersection of industries has become increasingly important as soccer evolves into a global entertainment ecosystem extending far beyond the pitch. “Media has such an important role to play in the growth of sports in every aspect, from the production side of it and content creation, and that includes documentary filmmakers, streamers, also feature film producers, to the actual streaming of the games itself. And then what comes after the game, and sort of maintaining that fandom 365, when a match might not even be taking place,” Kahn said.

2026 agenda

Those themes are reflected in this year’s agenda, which includes discussions on media rights and distribution, creator-led businesses, athlete branding, artificial intelligence, gaming and emerging technologies.

Kahn cited a rapidly changing landscape in which traditional broadcasters, streaming services and social media platforms are all competing to control the relationship with fans. “Lots of conversation about Fox and Telemundo having the rights this year, but Netflix having the right next year to the Women’s World Cup,” he said. “So, what does that look like?”

Artificial intelligence also is expected to play a major role in discussions, with applications ranging from performance analytics and wearable technologies to content production and fan engagement. “The increased use of AI and data and performance technology in the sport, and that’s everything from camera production to wearable health kind of companies to the data that’s collected from the stadiums themselves,” said Kahn.

Women’s soccer will also receive significant attention during the summit. “The growth of women’s soccer is extraordinary in the world, particularly in the U.S.,” Kahn said. “I think folks really appreciated that there was a female specific panel and that they were integrated into the other panels.”

The 2026 program includes a dedicated focus on the business, media and cultural forces driving what many industry observers view as one of the fastest-growing segments in global sports.

‘New Jersey really has all the pieces’

Kahn believes the summit’s location in New Jersey is just as important as its timing.

A native of Piscataway who later lived in Princeton before settling in Montclair, Kahn said he has gained a renewed appreciation for the state’s economic strengths in recent years. “I grew up in the State of New Jersey, left for many years and had never really done business in New Jersey,” he said. “In the final few years of Gov. Murphy’s term, I really started to look at New Jersey as a place to form ventures and bring business together.”

He points to investments in film and television production (including Netflix), the growth of technology hubs supported by universities and the NJEDA, and increasing activity in sports and entertainment as evidence that the state’s profile is rising. “New Jersey really has all the pieces,” said Kahn.

Those pieces include higher education institutions, access to capital, Fortune 500 companies and an emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize that a lot of funds, individuals that work in the city or work elsewhere live in New Jersey,” he explained.

Statewide celebration

At the same time, Kahn sees the World Cup as an opportunity to showcase the state’s cultural diversity to an international audience. He pointed to communities across the state that reflect the global nature of soccer itself, creating opportunities for visitors to experience New Jersey beyond the stadium.

“I think being able to host a World Cup here, and having folks, perhaps who’ve never been to Jersey, sort of experience what it’s about,” Kahn said.

The benefits, he argues, could extend to businesses of all sizes. “There are going to be a ton of parties that take place at private homes, at bars and restaurants,” he said, also noting the potential investment opportunities that could catalyze as many folks come to Jersey for the first time.

The level of celebration that happens around soccer is very different than what I think Americans are used to seeing.
– Greg Kahn, founder, GK Digital Ventures

Kahn expects visitors to spread throughout communities such as Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken, creating opportunities for restaurants, retailers and hospitality businesses. “The level of celebration that happens around soccer is very different than what I think Americans are used to seeing,” said Kahn.

He also believes local businesses should think creatively about how to participate. “If you’re a small, medium business owner, to think about what merchandise could be created,” Kahn said.

Kickstarting deals

Beyond tourism spending, however, Kahn remains focused on the potential for longer-term economic impact. “It’s the deals that get started,” said Kahn. “It’s not just what was planned for this World Cup. You’re going to have all this capital that’s here, the decision makers that are here in New Jersey. What will play out over the next three to five years from those folks that come here and see an opportunity to build.”

That outlook aligns closely with the summit’s mission.

The event’s programming will include discussions on ownership and capital, including the growing influence of private equity, sovereign wealth funds and multi-club ownership models. Other sessions will explore global market expansion, athlete entrepreneurship and direct-to-fan monetization strategies.

According to Kahn, soccer increasingly sits at the center of a broader global business ecosystem.

“Sports is a lifestyle, but it’s also an asset class,” Kahn explained. “And it brings together investors and owners. The cultural aspect of it – that’s a key part of business, too.”

The room where it happens

That reality has helped transform the summit into a gathering that attracts not only sports executives, but investors, marketers, technologists and media leaders.

“It really is who is in the room,” said Kahn. “We have that full mix of investors and owners and culture shapers and technologists and entrepreneurs that are all in one room.”

And they will be in that room a stone’s throw away from the Meadowlands, just days before the biggest sporting event in the world – the Final – takes place.

As New Jersey prepares for one of the most visible moments in its history, Kahn hopes both the World Cup and the summit help reshape perceptions of the state.

“New Jersey is where the infrastructure is, where the stadium is, where the matches are, where the business activity is,” he said.

For him, the opportunity extends far beyond a single tournament.

“The opportunity for New Jersey is not just a few weeks of tourism,” Kahn emphasized. “It’s about convening global attention into long-term business and investment and relationships.

“And that’s why I’m so excited that it’s here in our backyard.”