Prices for hotel rooms in World Cup host cities are about 50 percent higher on the nights of games than they are at other times this summer, an Athletic analysis of more than 450 popular chain hotels has found. Average nightly hotel prices in World Cup host markets Atlanta 64 hotels Boston 7 hotels Dallas 81 hotels Guadalajara, Mex. 4 hotels Houston 59 hotels Kansas City 28 hotels Los Angeles 49 hotels Mexico City 17 hotels Miami 31 hotels Monterrey, Mex. 5 hotels New York 54 hotels Philadelphia 21 hotels San Francisco 19 hotels Seattle 26 hotels Toronto, Can. 8 hotels Vancouver, Can. 8 hotels The rates shown reflect the average for all Wyndham hotels within 25 miles of a city’s World Cup stadium. The hosts are labeled based on the nearest major city, which is not necessarily where the games will be played. For instance, the games near San Francisco will be held in Santa Clara, Calif., and the games hosted by what FIFA describes as “New York New Jersey” are held in East Rutherford, N.J. Prices on game days vary significantly by location, ranging from around $150 per night in Atlanta to $390 in Kansas City. But the patterns among these hotels — places like the La Quinta Inn, Days Inn, Super 8 and other properties within 25 miles of World Cup stadiums — are similar across all markets. Nightly rates spike on match days and fall once a city’s stretch of games has ended.The specific increases differ from city to city, reflecting a mix of fan interest, hotel capacity, cost of living and other factors: When New York hosts the final, a night at one of these budget hotels costs about $430 — more than double the average rate at the same hotels the next day.In Mexico’s host cities, where there are fewer hotels available, the surges are especially sharp, with nightly average prices going to $160 from $90 (Mexico City), $260 from $110 (Guadalajara) and $240 from $130 (Monterrey).In Seattle, the nights before and after the U.S. team’s June 19 game against Australia are, on average, about $300 — the city’s highest-priced dates of June and July.In Kansas City, one of the smallest host cities, prices on the nights of World Cup matches are more than 2.5 times higher than their regular levels. These prices are among the most expensive across all June and July dates in the 16 markets in our data.In Dallas, rates have doubled on the night of the semifinal there; a Days Inn has rooms listed for $1,500 that night.In Los Angeles, one of the host cities with more hotel options, price changes are less stark, even when the United States plays there. (The U.S. team plays Paraguay on June 12 and Turkey on June 25.) Average hotel prices in World Cup host markets Other daysGame daysChangeKansas City$150$390+158%Guadalajara, Mex.$110$260+148%Monterrey, Mex.$130$240+83%Mexico City$90$160+71%Miami$150$250+69%Philadelphia$150$250+66%Houston$120$190+61%Dallas$140$220+59%San Francisco$120$180+43%New York$220$310+40%Boston$210$280+36%Atlanta$110$150+33%Vancouver, Can.$240$320+31%Toronto, Can.$130$170+29%Seattle$190$240+26%Los Angeles$150$180+15% The game-day rates reflect the average of the nightly prices at Wyndham hotels on the dates that city is hosting games. The average on other dates includes all other nights in June and July. Only hotels within 25 miles of World Cup stadiums are included. The hotels we analyzed — all properties of the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts group — represent just one segment of the industry. But it’s a widely available hotel group, especially in the United States, and offers a range of brands at different price points. Taken together, the prices advertised at these properties are broadly indicative of World Cup-related rate hikes this summer, which are present in all 16 host cities.That said, there is evidence in our data that prices are falling. Across the hotels whose prices The Athletic monitored, the average rate on game days has decreased about 20 percent since mid-May. How average nightly rates have changed The rates shown are the averages of Wyndham hotels within 25 miles of World Cup stadiums. The number of hotels available in each city varies. The Athletic monitored prices from May 14 to June 2. Of course, rate hikes around popular events are nothing new. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, hotel prices rose 141 percent compared to the previous year, according to CoStar, a global provider of real estate data. And during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2023, researchers found that U.S. hotel prices were 27 percent higher. But the fluctuations shown here reveal the World Cup-related price changes at a level of detail not often seen.“When I look at prices in a lot of markets, they’re not insanely high,” said Christopher K. Anderson, a professor at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration whose research focuses on demand and pricing. “They’re not five or 10 times normal,” he said. “I think there’s just not as much demand from the regular fan, given the ticketing process that went into place.”FIFA has sold tickets for this World Cup at prices far higher than in the past, which may have deterred fans from traveling and tempered demand for hotels. And those ticket prices are now falling, too. How The Athletic tracked prices To measure changing hotel prices in World Cup host cities, we collected the cheapest nightly rates (excluding taxes, fees and rewards-program discounts) for all hotel properties operated by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. We limited our search to hotels within 25 miles of a World Cup stadium in June and July. The figures here represent averages for a city on a given night.Prices fluctuate; these averages are just a snapshot of the market. The rates at Wyndham properties offer only a window into how the industry at large has reacted to the World Cup. The full picture of a city’s accommodation rate may be different than what’s reflected by the options among Wyndham hotels in those cities.But in general, the number of Wyndham hotels is proportional to the market’s overall inventory of rooms, according to data provided by CoStar. Read more