Hotels across America’s World Cup host cities are experiencing disappointing reservation numbers, falling well short of the anticipated tourism surge that was expected to accompany the world’s premier soccer tournament.
An April study conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association revealed that guest bookings have fallen below projections in most of the 11 American cities welcoming the globally televised competition.
Hotel managers in Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle reported that reservations are actually trailing behind normal seasonal patterns. Meanwhile, properties in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston described demand as stagnant when compared to typical spring and summer periods, the association found.
The hospitality trade group identified several factors contributing to the underwhelming response: international visitors’ travel apprehensions, lengthy U.S. visa processing delays, and steep tournament expenses including costly match tickets and transportation in host cities.
“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,” said Michael Black, general manager at the Cloud One hotel in Manhattan.
The booking challenges aren’t limited to American venues. Mexico, which shares hosting duties with the United States and Canada, faces similar struggles. Hotels in Mexico City, where the tournament kicks off June 11, show occupancy rates between 30% and 36%, according to the Asociación de Hoteles de Ciudad de México.
Following the tournament schedule announcement, numerous hotels dramatically increased their nightly rates, betting that soccer enthusiasts would accept premium pricing to secure accommodations near match venues.
A New Jersey hotel near MetLife Stadium exemplifies this strategy, raising its typical $200 nightly rate to $800 during June World Cup dates. Prices climb even higher to over $1,300 per night before the July 19 championship match.
Experienced soccer followers likely anticipate these elevated rates will eventually decrease, according to Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, a Germany-based fan advocacy organization.
“Fans that are used to traveling for tournaments know that this price will always go down,” Evain said. “There are many examples of hotel owners regretting that they priced too high and then panicking at the last minute and reducing prices.”
Alternative accommodations may explain some of the hotel booking shortfalls. Evain noted that many visitors have likely arranged less expensive lodging at greater distances from stadiums or through Airbnb and similar short-term rental services.
Data from AirDNA, which monitors Airbnb and Vrbo reservations, confirms increased short-term rental activity in metropolitan areas around Kansas City, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale compared to the previous year.
Airbnb announced that anticipated guest numbers during the tournament will surpass initial projections and potentially exceed the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, making it the platform’s largest hosting event ever.
FIFA reports selling more than 5 million tickets so far, approaching the 6 million total expected for all 104 tournament matches.
While tournament attendees represent potential hotel guests, major international events like the World Cup often deter other visitor categories, explained Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College professor specializing in sports economics.
“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, reported a modest 10% increase in summer reservations compared to the previous year, but noted this falls far short of the economic boost promised by FIFA and tournament promoters.
Toronto, Canada, which will stage six matches, shows stronger performance with room demand up approximately 28% over June 2025, said Sara Anghel, president of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.
Despite 90% of Kansas City hotel operators telling the American Hotel & Lodging Association survey that bookings missed expectations, local tourism leaders maintain optimism for record visitor numbers.
“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,” said Derik Detter, market research director at Visit KC.
Jon Bortz, CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, which operates numerous hotels nationwide, shares this positive outlook.
He reported higher occupancy rates at the company’s host city properties compared to last year, though acknowledged that cities like Boston with premier matchups are outperforming locations like San Francisco hosting less popular games.
“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.”
