Houston hotel demand for the 2026 World Cup is running flat compared to a typical spring and summer, despite the city hosting five matches at the infamous NRG Stadium starting June 14.
Room bookings have been lighter than expected in most of the 11 U.S. cities hosting matches, according to an April survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
In several cities, including Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, a majority of hotel operators said bookings were actually running behind typical seasonal demand.
The metropolitan regions around Kansas City, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami are all enjoying an uptick in short-term rental bookings compared with the same period last year, according to a recent report from AirDNA.
Meanwhile, Airbnb said last week that the number of guests expected to stay at its rental listings during the tournament is expected to exceed earlier estimates – and even surpass the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris as the biggest hosting event in the company’s history.
Operators’ ears are wide open, and so are ours.
Related: Miami short-term rental revenue spikes 70x ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 kickoff
Why early demand may be low
So far there are plenty of excuses for the lag in demand.
Some hotel associations blamed travel concerns from international fans, worries about wait times for a U.S. visa, and the cost of attending the tournament — including high ticket prices and transit costs in some cities — as major factors in the softer-than-expected demand.
There is a hopeful fact many aren’t considering, though.
More than 5 million tickets have been sold for the tournament so far, out of the more than 6 million expected to be offered for all 104 matches, according to FIFA.
Most of these folks will need a place to stay.
With one month until kickoff, operators who registered their properties early and priced competitively may have already captured reservations that hotels are still waiting for.
