U.S. Hotels Still Struggling to Fill Rooms As World Cup Approaches

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off Thursday, but it may not be the big bonanza American hotels initially expected.

Hotel bookings in U.S. host cities are lagging behind their Canadian and Mexican counterparts heading into the tournament. According to CoStar data obtained by Front Office Sports, New York City has the highest hotel booking rate on match dates across U.S. cities at 57% on June 13. But outside the U.S., cities are seeing much higher booking rates throughout the tournament, with Monterrey at 60% on June 20, Mexico City at 61% on June 11, and Guadalajara at 73% on June 18.

For many fans looking to book travel to World Cup games this summer, cost has been a defining factor.

Ticket prices have reached record highs for this year’s World Cup, with FIFA’s official listings for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium going for $32,970 per seat, more than triple the average Super Bowl resale price in February. In New York, round-trip train tickets from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium were initially set at $150 before being lowered to $98. The same ticket from Penn Station to MetLife typically costs $12.90.

“There is significant sticker shock and there are many customers and groups who have experienced previous World Cups who have been priced out of this edition of the tournament,” Dave Guenther, president of luxury sports travel company Roadtrips, tells FOS. Guenther says the problem started with ticket costs but was compounded by lodging companies that priced aggressively early.

“Those rates have now gone down in many markets, but this is still an expensive World Cup, and aspirational buyers are finding it hard to pay up,” he said.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association reported in May that 70% of hoteliers in Dallas and Houston said booking rates were below expectations. Kansas City was the most disappointed market, with nearly 90% reporting a pace below typical June and July levels. FIFA’s cancellation of roughly 70% of room blocks it had reserved in Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Seattle had inflated early demand signals that never held.

According to CoStar, which tracks World Cup host city hotel bookings, as of June 1, on some match days hotel occupancy rates in U.S. host cities—including Atlanta and Boston—are lower compared to 2025. 

“This is more of a rate event than an occupancy event,” Jan Freitag, national director of hospitality analytics at CoStar, tells FOS. Hotels aren’t expecting dramatic occupancy jumps, but they are charging more for the rooms that do fill, he says. 

Visa Issues

Canada and Mexico hold structural advantages, too. International fans from countries with more restrictive U.S. visa policies may simply find it easier to enter either country, Freitag added. Miami is a partial exception, supported by easy access from Latin America, South America, and the Caribbean. Miami will host seven matches during the tournament. 

The short-term rental (STR) market, on the other hand, tells a slightly different story. 

According to AirDNA data, short-term rental demand—including stays at Airbnb—is up sharply across Mexican host cities as of June 8, with Guadalajara and Monterrey leading the way at 136% and 125%, respectively, higher than the same period last year. 

Even in U.S. cities where hotel bookings haven’t met expectations, STR platforms are faring better. The demand for short-term rentals in Kansas City is higher than in any other U.S. city, with a 44% increase from last year, according to AirDNA. 

The surge in the Mexican market specifically, according to AirDNA director of economics and forecasting Bram Gallagher, may come down to price and amenities. STR listings in Mexican host cities are running around $100 per night even after significant rate increases, compared to roughly $300 per night in cities like Kansas City, Boston, and Miami. “Those cheap budget places are going first and fastest,” Gallagher tells FOS. 

“If you wait to book, you will be facing increasing rates,” he says.

Luxury Accommodations

Some U.S. hotels swung for the high end regardless. The Mark, a high-end hotel on New York’s Upper East Side, offers exclusive use of two floors and helicopter transfers to the final. Its package—priced at $1 million—is still available, the hotel said Tuesday. 

In Boston, XV Beacon is still offering a package that features private round-trip transportation to Gillette Stadium and a champagne welcome reception. The Gansevoort Meatpacking, a boutique hotel in downtown Manhattan, is asking $30,000 for a package around the England vs. Panama match. It’s drawn interest from several U.K.-based guests, a spokesperson tells FOS, though it hasn’t been booked as of earlier this week. 

Once knockout-round matchups are set and fans know where their team is playing, Freitag expects a surge in bookings across U.S. cities. “People from France or Spain or Portugal or Germany or England will end up making their trips across,” he says.