US hotel operators have reported that the anticipated economic windfall from hosting the World Cup has yet to materialise, with room bookings falling short of expectations in most host cities. An April survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association found that in several of the 11 US cities staging matches, demand has been weaker than typical seasonal levels.
Mixed Booking Trends Across Host Cities
In cities such as Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, a majority of hotel operators indicated that bookings were actually trailing behind normal spring and summer demand. Meanwhile, in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston, demand has remained flat compared with a regular season, according to the association.
The association attributed the softer-than-expected demand to travel concerns among international fans, worries about US visa processing times, and the high cost of attending the tournament, including expensive tickets and transport costs in some cities.
Michael Black, general manager at the Cloud One hotel in Manhattan, said: “I think everyone had hoped the games would lead an influx of bookings, but with all going on in the world and the USA’s involvement, events are playing out differently for everyone.”
Mexico Also Affected
Concerns about subdued bookings extend to Mexico, which is co-hosting the tournament with the US and Canada. Hotels in Mexico City, which will host the opening match on June 11, are approximately 30% to 36% booked, according to the Asociación de Hoteles de Ciudad de México.
High Prices Deterring Fans
Many hotels raised their prices significantly after the tournament schedule was announced, anticipating that soccer fans would be willing to pay premium rates. Near MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a hotel that typically charges around $200 per night was advertising $800 per night for June match dates, rising to more than $1,300 for the July 19 final.
Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, a fan advocacy group based in Germany, suggested that experienced fans are likely waiting for prices to drop. “Fans that are used to traveling for tournaments know that this price will always go down,” he said. “There are many examples of hotel owners regretting that they priced too high and then panicking at the last minute and reducing prices.”
Evain added that many fans have already secured cheaper accommodation further from stadiums or through short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb. Data from AirDNA, a rental analytics firm, shows that metropolitan regions around Kansas City, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale have seen an increase in short-term rental bookings compared with the same period last year. Airbnb reported last week that the number of guests expected to stay at its listings during the tournament is likely to exceed earlier estimates and may surpass the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris as the largest hosting event in the company's history.
Unrealistic Expectations?
FIFA has sold more than 5 million tickets for the tournament so far, out of a total of over 6 million expected to be available for all 104 matches. However, Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College professor specialising in sports economics, noted that global events like the World Cup can deter other types of visitors. “The general problem is that soccer tourists — and expected congestion, high prices and security concerns — push away normal business travel and tourism,” he explained.
Vijay Dandapani, president of the Hotel Association of New York City, said city hotels are seeing a modest increase in summer bookings of around 10% compared with the previous year, but this is far from the windfall promised by FIFA and other tournament boosters. In Toronto, Canada, which will host six matches, demand for rooms is up about 28% over June 2025, according to Sara Anghel, president of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.
In Kansas City, where approximately 90% of respondents to the American Hotel & Lodging Association survey reported bookings below expectations, tourism officials remain optimistic. Derik Detter, market research director at Visit KC, said: “While hotel occupancy in Kansas City has not followed the trajectory originally predicted by FIFA, there are positive indicators for Kansas City on the horizon.”
Jon Bortz, CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, a real estate investment company that owns dozens of hotels nationally, also expressed confidence. He noted that occupancy rates at its host city properties are up compared with last year, though cities with more high-profile matches, such as Boston, are performing better than those with less in-demand games, like San Francisco. “We haven’t seen anything that would cause us to think it’s going to be less than what we were expecting,” he said. “Maybe other people had much grander expectations.”
