Almost 80 percent of U.S. hoteliers in the 11 FIFA World Cup host cities this summer have said that their hotel bookings are tracking below initial forecasts, according to a survey of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) 30,000-plus members conducted in April.
With just five weeks to go until the big kick-off in Mexico City on June 11, and more than five million tickets having been sold, the AHLA’s survey suggests that the demand is so far yet to translate into strong hotel bookings. Some hoteliers have described the tournament’s impact as a “non-event” for the summer months, while only a quarter of the survey’s respondents reported seeing a “meaningful incremental lift,” and many of those were in strong performing leisure markets or destinations where team base camp training sites have been set up.
It comes as another report by Oxford Economics suggested that the U.S. host cities would “generate some GDP growth” during the tournament with regards to their leisure and hospitality segments, while intimating that it would only deliver a “temporary, sector-specific boost with minimal lasting economic impact and temporary job gains.
The AHLA report identified five key challenges that the U.S. hotel industry is facing in the lead up to the World Cup: New taxes and fees; international perception of visa delays; TSA wait times and funding uncertainty; room block cancellations; increased gas and jet fuel prices.
Booking Sentiment
Hotels in most markets have reported booking pace falling below initial forecasts, with some even trailing the typical summer demand for the months of June and July.
As per the AHLA Member Survey, Kansas City appears to be the most negatively impacted host market according to projected hotel occupancy, with 85 to 90 percent of respondents reporting booking pace falling below expectations and typical summer demand. San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and Boston follow behind with 75 percent of respondents reporting similar observations, citing international travel barriers, weak international demand and geopolitical concerns as potential factors behind the disappointing figures so far.
Atlanta and Miami, meanwhile, stand out as relatively bright spots among the U.S. host cities. The two cities appear to be either in line with or exceeding expectations for booking pace, driven by the presence of national teams as base camps, strong air connectivity and diversified demand sources through leisure and business.
Room Block Cancellations
Roughly half of respondents in the host markets for the AHLA Member Survey reported material room block releases, indicating that early booking signals overstated true demand.
FIFA’s extensive room-block releases have amplified booking uncertainty, particularly in Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Seattle, where up to 70 percent of contracted inventory is said to have been affected in the months leading up to the tournament.
Operationally, these blocks are standard ahead of a major FIFA tournament due to the association pooling inventory for staff, partners and teams. However, these have an impact on hotel revenue forecasts, staffing plans and preparations for World Cup-related activations, and without due transparency, lead time and effective communication processes, it can lead properties to backfill their rooms and adjust their sales strategies at late notice, resulting in weaker than anticipated demand.
International Travel Barriers
For those tourists traveling to the United States for the World Cup this summer, and those not affected by imposed visa restrictions or bans for their countries, the entry process is becoming increasingly complex.
Upon entering the country, travelers can expect to face lengthy visa wait times, rising visa fees and uncertainty around entry processing. Beyond that, airport security screening times and airport congestion are set to increase, which may deter some tourists altogether from making the trip.
Cost pressures, such as the strength of the dollar, high airfare costs and elevated gas prices, are not only making the United States a more expensive destination but are also fueling negative perceptions around affordability and pricing unpredictability that will dampen travel enthusiasm.
New Taxes and Fees
Many of the World Cup host cities already have high lodging taxes, but state and local policies are likely to add last-minute costs for soccer travelers, as well as other visitors and residents.
In New Jersey, local lawmakers have proposed a package that would raise the prepared food and general sales tax rate from 6.6 percent to 9.6 percent (45 percent increase) and the lodging tax from 5.0 percent to 7.5 percent (50 percent increase). Those fees would largely be passed on to families in terms of paying for everyday goods and services amidst an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, while 86 percent of New Jersey residents say that tax hikes would jeopardize any potential benefits they might feel from the World Cup.
Philadelphia is also feeling the effects of rising taxes and fees, while still recovering itself from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the AHLA, the hotel industry represents a $6 billion economic engine for Philadelphia, supporting 34,000 jobs and generating almost $900 million in tax revenue, and the presence of the World Cup could accelerate the city’s recovery if the advantages of the event can be fully realized.
However, FIFA has already canceled close to 2,000 blocked room nights and lawmakers have also proposed an increase in Philadelphia’s hotel tax from 8.5 percent to 10 percent. The proposed hotel tax alone is nearly a 24 percent increase on the lodging industry, which could potentially cost up to 1,900 jobs, $154 million in economic activity and 192,000 room nights, and significantly reduce the anticipated economic benefits of hosting the tournament.
Transportation Costs
Visitor surcharges on transportation in host markets is another element that is causing controversy in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup.
New Jersey Transit announced $150 round-trip fares from New York City’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium on match days (more than 11 times a usual fare), airport authorities in Los Angeles have approved rideshare fee hikes from $4 to $6 or $12 per trip tied to congestion around games at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium and $80 round-trip fares have been confirmed in Boston when traveling to and from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
The fee hikes have already made national and international headlines, injecting further uncertainty into travelers’ plans before the summer.
AHLA Statement
Despite millions of tickets sold, the demand that was anticipated is yet to translate into strong hotel bookings. Forecasts are showing that domestic travelers are outpacing international travelers, creating an imbalance that threatens the broader economic impact the World Cup was expected to generate.
“We remain optimistic, policy restraint and operational transparency can unlock remaining potential,” said the AHLA. “Host cities like Philadelphia, New Jersey and others must avoid tax hikes that compound uncertainty, preserving jobs and revenue for a tournament still poised to deliver if late demand materializes.”
FIFA World Cup Plans
Overall, the increased size and scale of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is producing knock-on effects for the association, fans and travelers, presenting additional challenges that may not have been seen at previous tournaments.
The 2026 edition will be the largest in the tournament’s history, featuring 48 national teams (up from 32), 104 matches (up from 64) and 16 host cities (including 11 in the United States). This will inevitably provide some logistical issues, including where national teams will set up their base camps, where and how fans will travel between games and the expense of organizing a further 40 matches and the logistics behind it.
Last year, FIFA President Gianni Infantino pledged to deliver matches that would equate to “104 Super Bowls” in terms of scale, hype and anticipation. A FIFA analysis around the same time showed projections that the World Cup would drive $30.5 billion in economic output based on a near 50:50 split between domestic and international travelers, however the minimal international inbound due to the factors laid out by the AHLA members paints a different picture on the ground.
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