Hotels in 2026 World Cup host cities do not see the announced wave of bookings
The hotel sector in the United States is entering the final stage of preparations for the 2026 World Cup with noticeably more cautious expectations than had until recently been assumed. Although the tournament has been announced as one of the largest sporting and tourism events in the history of North America, the latest indicators from the hotel industry suggest that bookings in most U.S. host cities are lagging behind earlier forecasts. According to data published by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, almost 80 percent of surveyed hoteliers in U.S. host cities say their current occupancy is below initial expectations. Such a finding is particularly important because a little more than a month remains until the start of the tournament, scheduled for June 11, 2026, and hoteliers had counted in earlier plans on a stronger and earlier wave of international arrivals.
The 2026 World Cup is being held in Canada, Mexico and the United States, and FIFA presents it as the largest edition of the tournament so far: for the first time, 48 national teams are taking part, and matches are being played in 16 host cities. The U.S. part of the tournament covers 11 markets: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, the San Francisco area and Seattle. It was precisely in those cities that the greatest pressure on hotel capacities had been expected, especially because the tournament overlaps with the peak of the summer tourist season and a series of other events. But the initial calculation, according to which the combination of a sporting spectacle, international fans and high room prices would automatically bring exceptional occupancy, is now proving significantly more uncertain.
The biggest shortfall in Kansas City, a different picture in Miami and Atlanta
The most pronounced problem, according to available data from the hotel industry and local reports, is recorded in Kansas City. There, between 85 and 90 percent of surveyed hotels reported that bookings for the World Cup period are lagging behind projections. This is particularly sensitive for a city that, ahead of the tournament, built a strong promotional story around six matches at Arrowhead Stadium, including knockout-stage matches. Local organizers nevertheless reject the interpretation that interest has collapsed. Representatives of the organizing committee and the tourism sector point out that they still expect a large number of visitors, including fans of national teams that will play or have bases in the region, and warn that part of the demand may appear later than hotels usually expect.
Such caution is not without foundation. In sports tourism, some travelers, especially fans who follow national teams through several cities, wait for confirmation of the schedule, flight prices, ticket availability and administrative requirements before finalizing travel. Still, the hotel sector warns that this time it is not only a shifted booking rhythm, but also weaker international demand in several markets. Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle are mentioned among the cities where hoteliers have also reported a significant gap between earlier forecasts and the actual state of bookings. New York/New Jersey, Dallas and Houston, according to industry estimates, look more stable, but without the large additional momentum that was expected from the World Cup.
The exceptions in this pattern for now are Miami and Atlanta. In those cities, some hotels are approaching expectations or exceeding them, helped by strong air connectivity, existing tourism demand, established infrastructure for major events and the presence of national-team bases. Miami stands out as a market that has a strong international component even without the World Cup, while Atlanta benefits from good transport accessibility and broad regional demand. Such unevenness shows that the tournament does not affect all markets equally: cities with already developed tourist flows and simpler access have a better position than cities where the expected influx depended to a greater extent on specific fan demand.
Why the expected hotel boom did not appear earlier
Hoteliers cite several interconnected factors as possible reasons for weaker bookings. Among them are high airfares, a strong dollar, uncertainty about visas and administrative procedures for entering the United States, geopolitical tension and general consumer caution when planning expensive trips. For international fans, travel to the 2026 World Cup often does not mean only one match and one overnight stay, but a multi-day or multi-week stay in several cities, with additional transport costs within North America. In such an environment, the high price of accommodation can be one of the reasons for delaying a decision or switching to alternative forms of accommodation.
Particular attention was also drawn by the information that FIFA had earlier released or canceled part of the hotel blocks that had been reserved for the needs of the tournament. Such arrangements are common for major sporting competitions because organizers secure rooms in advance for teams, officials, partners, media and other accredited groups. When part of those capacities returns to the market, hotel supply rises sharply, and hotels that had counted on guaranteed occupancy in advance have to look for guests again. In some cities, this further strengthened the impression that demand was weaker than expected and forced hotel managements to adjust prices, run promotional campaigns or plan staffing more cautiously.
Another important factor is the change in traveler behavior after the pandemic and inflationary pressure on household budgets. Bookings are increasingly being made closer to the travel date, and guests compare hotels, short-term rentals, location, transport connections and the possibility of free cancellation. For hoteliers, this means that traditional demand-forecasting models may prove insufficiently precise. A major event no longer automatically guarantees early and high occupancy, especially if prices were raised before guests' actual willingness to pay for more expensive accommodation was confirmed. Because of this, some analysts warn that the hotel market must adapt in real time, instead of relying exclusively on the assumption that rooms will fill themselves as the tournament approaches.
Short-term rentals take over part of the demand
The accommodation picture for the World Cup is not the same when the short-term rental segment is considered. Data from platforms and analytics firms that track private accommodation show that in many host cities, interest in apartments, houses and other forms of short-term rentals is stronger than in the hotel sector. This does not mean that overall travel demand is weak, but that some fans and visitors are behaving differently from hotels' expectations. Larger groups, families and fans planning a longer stay may often prefer accommodation with a kitchen, more rooms and a more flexible location, especially if hotel prices in city centers are perceived as too high.
AirDNA has launched special tools for the 2026 World Cup to monitor short-term rentals by host city, with an emphasis on changes in demand, average daily rates and occupancy around match dates. Such data suggest that demand for accommodation is not necessarily disappearing, but is being redistributed between different channels. In some markets, especially where stadiums are far from hotel centers or where families and larger groups are an important part of the fan audience, private accommodation may have an advantage. For hotels, this creates additional pressure: they are competing not only with one another but also with owners of apartments and houses who can adjust prices and stay conditions more quickly.
At the same time, short-term rentals carry their own risks and limitations. Cities such as New York have stricter rules for short-term renting, which means that demand can spill over into surrounding areas, for example parts of New Jersey. In other cities, growth in the number of listings can soften price increases and reduce hosts' expected earnings. Therefore, it is not possible simply to conclude that hotels are losing and private accommodation is winning. Rather, it is a change in the structure of demand: some travelers are looking for a lower price, some for greater flexibility, some for proximity to the stadium, and some for the security and services offered by hotels. It is precisely this fragmentation that makes reliable estimates of the tournament's economic impact more difficult.
Great expectations and more cautious forecasts of economic impact
The 2026 World Cup has for months been presented as a strong economic stimulus for host cities, the hotel sector, restaurants, transport, retail and local services. Studies and projections commissioned or published by institutions connected with the tournament spoke of large amounts of economic impact and thousands of jobs. FIFA and the World Trade Organization, in joint analyses, highlighted the broader potential of the tournament for the U.S. and global economy, and tourism organizations in host cities built their plans on the expectation of the arrival of a large number of international fans. The hotel sector had a special role in those estimates because international travelers, according to industry data, usually stay longer and spend more than domestic guests.
Current data do not mean that the economic impact will fail to materialize, but they suggest that it could be more uneven than previously assumed. Cities with matches featuring attractive national teams, good transport links, greater international visibility or a stronger offer beyond football itself could achieve considerably better results than markets that rely on one or two strong events. Hotels that aggressively raised prices at an early stage may now face a choice: keep high prices and risk empty rooms or adapt them to the market and try to increase occupancy. Such decisions directly affect revenue, hiring, inventory planning and cooperation with local suppliers.
An additional problem for the sector is the fact that hotels in recent years have already faced higher costs for labor, insurance, energy and maintenance. In its industry reports, AHLA has warned that U.S. hotels, despite the sector's resilience, are still dealing with pressures that reduce profit margins. If bookings for one of the most important events of the decade remain below expectations, this could affect investment plans, seasonal hiring and local tax revenues. That is precisely why hoteliers are asking organizers and public authorities for greater transparency around official accommodation needs, better communication with international visitors and the removal of administrative obstacles that may deter travelers.
FIFA is counting on tickets and a late wave of travel
On the other hand, FIFA and local organizers have reasons for cautious optimism. By its very structure, the tournament is exceptionally large: 104 matches, 48 national teams and three host countries create an event unlike any football has had so far. The official schedule covers the group stage and knockout stage from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and the final stages will be played in the United States. Ticket demand, according to statements by organizers and sales channels, remains a strong indicator of interest in the tournament, although ticket sales alone do not automatically guarantee hotel occupancy in all cities. A fan can buy a ticket and book accommodation later, choose another city, stay with acquaintances, use a short-term rental or travel only on match day.
FIFA has also announced the FIFA PASS system, that is, a priority system for scheduling visas for ticket buyers and their guests traveling to the United States. This detail shows that organizers recognize the importance of administrative procedures for the international audience. However, the effect of such measures will depend on appointment availability, the actual duration of procedures, perceptions of travel safety and costs. If fans conclude that travel is too expensive or too complicated, some of them may give up on coming or shorten their stay, which would directly affect hotels and hospitality.
It is also possible that part of the demand will appear late. In football, fan routes often depend on results, the draw, match schedules and assessments of a national team's chances of progressing from the group. Groups of fans may wait for additional information about transport, security measures, fan zones and prices. But for hotels, a late wave of bookings is not as valuable as early certainty. Without firm data on occupancy, it is harder to plan staffing levels, contract supplies, organize guest transport and manage prices. That is why the current warning from hoteliers is not only a question of missed earnings, but also a question of operational preparation for an event that will heavily burden infrastructure in some cities.
The tournament remains a major tourism event, but without a guarantee of equal gain for all
The latest data change the tone of the discussion about the 2026 World Cup. Instead of a simple story about a guaranteed hotel boom, there is increasing talk of selective demand, late booking, competition from short-term rentals and the sensitivity of international travel to prices and administrative requirements. For host cities, this means that the effect of the tournament will probably depend on a range of local factors: the attractiveness of matches, the distance of stadiums, the quality of public transport, international air connections, the availability of accommodation and the ability of local authorities to make visitors' stays easier.
The hotel sector is entering the coming weeks in a period in which it will become clear whether the current lag is temporary or an indicator of a deeper change in the way people travel to major sporting events. If the late wave of bookings materializes, some of the current fears could prove exaggerated. If, however, international demand does not accelerate, the 2026 World Cup could remain an exceptionally watched and commercially strong event, but with less evenly distributed benefits for hotels than was announced in initial forecasts. In that case, the winners will not be all host cities equally, but those that adjusted prices, communication and offers in time to the actual behavior of travelers.
Sources:- Skift – report on the AHLA survey and hotel bookings for the 2026 World Cup (link)- FIFA – official schedule, host cities and structure of the 2026 World Cup (link)- FIFA – information on tickets and the FIFA PASS system for travelers to the United States (link)- KCUR – local context of hotel bookings in Kansas City and organizers' reactions (link)- AHLA – report on the state of the hotel industry in 2026 and expectations related to major events (link)- AirDNA – data and tool for monitoring short-term rentals in 2026 World Cup host cities (link)- FIFA and WTO – analysis of the broader economic impact of FIFA tournaments in the United States (link)
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