World Cup 2026: Empty Hotels and Sky-High Prices Leave Tourism Hopes in Tatters

The World Cup has arrived on American soil, but the windfall for the nation's travel industry remains conspicuously absent. What was supposed to be a golden opportunity for hotels, airlines, and tourism operators has instead become a cautionary tale about pricing yourself out of your own market.

The numbers tell a grim story. Flight bookings from Europe into most host cities for June and July have actually fallen 3.8% year-over-year, according to Cirium. More starkly, bookings from Europe into New York—which will host the July 19 final—have plummeted 15.8%. FIFA had banked on 1.2 million fans descending on the city; the Hotel Association of New York City is now bracing for half that figure.

The consequences are already visible on the ground. New York hotels have begun slashing rates in desperation. The city's largest hotel, the New York Hilton Midtown, has cut its tournament pricing in half to $415 per night, down from rates advertised in December. The Hotel Association itself has chopped its forecast for World Cup-related hotel revenue by 60%, down to roughly $60 million. "Overall a disappointment. There's no other word that I can say," said Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the association.

The root causes are multiple and mutually reinforcing. Match tickets have reached unprecedented levels, with FIFA introducing both record base prices and dynamic pricing that climbed as the tournament approached. Uncapped resale pricing has pushed costs even higher. In host cities like New York and Miami, the cheapest ticket now approaches $1,000. Even if prices tumble closer to the knockout stages, overseas fans still face the twin obstacles of visa requirements—which apply to supporters from more than half the qualified nations—and the sheer logistical nightmare of coordinating travel and accommodation across 16 host cities spread across three countries.

International visitors, already wary of stricter border enforcement, have largely stayed away. The Trump administration's denial of entry to a Somali referee over alleged links to "suspected members of terror organizations" has hardly helped matters. U.S. domestic fans, in a country where football remains less embedded in the cultural fabric than in Europe, have not stepped into the breach.

Some supporters are simply opting out. Andy Milne, England superfan and author of "That World Cup Guy," reports that friends are heading to Ibiza to watch matches on television for a fraction of the cost. Others are heading to Las Vegas. Even wealthy fans—traditionally reliable spenders for American travel firms—are holding their nerve, waiting to see which teams advance and which matches matter before committing to the expense.

There has been a modest uptick in bookings from supporters in the United Kingdom and Norway, which Dandapani described as a "positive sign," though it barely registers against the broader shortfall. Average bookings across host cities sit just 0.5% higher than a year ago, according to analytics firm CoStar.

The one glimmer of light comes from vacation rentals. Airbnb told investors in May that the World Cup was tracking to become its largest event ever. Short-term rental analytics firm AirDNA reports that bookings for budget and economy properties are running higher in cities including Boston and Los Angeles. Average daily rates for rentals across host cities currently stand at $218 for already-booked properties, though new bookings as of June 8 command roughly $335 as hosts attempt to capitalise on late demand.

"There is way more leisure demand in all these cities because of the World Cup," said Jamie Lane, chief economist at AirDNA. "That is unmistakable."

Yet even that modest silver lining cannot obscure the fundamental reality: the traditional World Cup playbook—predicated on international fans willing to travel vast distances and spend lavishly to follow their teams—appears to be breaking down. The costs, the visa headaches, and the sheer complexity of attending matches across three nations have proved too much of a deterrent. FIFA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.