Expedia Group Partners with PredictHQ to Unlock Sports Tourism Demand Forecasting

Expedia Group has announced a new partnership with global demand intelligence and data platform PredictHQ to integrate its verified event signals and predictive demand intelligence directly into Partner Central, the platform Expedia Group’s lodging partners use to manage their business, and unlock sports tourism demand forecasting.

The integration is set to give lodging partners a clearer view of rising travel demand by combining PredictHQ’s forward-looking demand forecasts with Expedia Group’s traveler insights, enabling them to identify, anticipate and act on demand shifts with greater confidence.

New PredictHQ forecasts show traveler spending across accommodation, ground transportation, and food and beverage in North America’s host cities is projected to exceed $8.1 billion USD between June and August 2026 — an increase of nearly $750 million over the same period last year — to coincide with this summer’s Men’s FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Several FIFA World Cup host cities in the United States are expected to experience dramatic jumps in fan-driven economic activity. Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, is predicted to see the largest total spend increase, with total traveler spend expected to exceed $562 million — a 135% year-over-year increase.

Arlington is set to stage nine matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including one semifinal, and will host national teams including England, Argentina, the Netherlands and Japan.

Meanwhile, Foxborough, Massachusetts (+161%), Kansas City, Missouri (+73.4%), Philadelphia (+19.9%), and Houston (+18.3%), are also projected to experience substantial boosts to their local economies.

Global Fan Demand Surges in Host Cities

New international demand insights reveal dramatic match-week surges, with global fans driving steep percentage increases across several host cities.

Expedia Group data shows Japan and the United Kingdom leading inbound demand into Dallas, up 1,820% and 1,530% above typical weeks, respectively. Brazil-to-Philadelphia and Germany-to-Houston routes are also recording four-digit growth as supporters travel across borders to follow their teams, while demand from Australia to Seattle is rising 400%.

Taken together, these trends signal how global fan movement is accelerating — a clear reflection of fast-rising travel flow corridors, grounded in bookings already made across key international routes.

Accommodation Spending to Nearly Double

Across host cities, projected accommodation spending from June to August 2026 is projected to surge from $2.6 billion to $4.8 billion year-over-year — driven by fans booking rooms that extend well beyond match days.

The cities seeing the biggest percentage jumps in accommodation spending include:

• Arlington, Texas – projected 369% increase YoY
• Foxborough, Massachusetts – projected 310% increase YoY
• Santa Clara, California – projected 159% increase YoY

Impact Comment

“Major global events or groupings of harder-to-track, smaller events both create highly concentrated and fast-moving demand patterns that traditional forecasting models and AI systems lack the real-world context to detect,” said PredictHQ CEO Campbell Brown. “Demand does not move in straight lines; it responds to what is happening in the world every day. By partnering with Expedia Group, we are embedding this trusted, explainable context directly into decision-making, enabling travel providers to anticipate demand shifts earlier and capture revenue that would otherwise be missed.”

“What makes this powerful is how we connect predictive intelligence directly to commercial action,” said Susan Spinney, senior vice president, hotel market partnerships at Expedia Group. “We’re not just identifying demand — we’re enabling partners to respond immediately in Partner Central, whether that’s adjusting strategy, increasing visibility through TravelAds, or targeting the right domestic and international travelers at the right time. It’s about turning foresight into measurable growth.”

The research was conducted by PredictHQ, in collaboration with Expedia Group. The data, collected in February 2026, projects the total spend across accommodation, food and beverages, and ground transportation in North American host cities at this year’s FIFA World Cup.