The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off Thursday, but it may not be the big bonanza American hotels initially expected.
Hotel bookings in U.S. host cities are lagging behind their Canadian and Mexican counterparts heading into the tournament. According to CoStar data obtained by Front Office Sports, New York City has the highest hotel booking rate on match dates across U.S. cities at 57% on June 13. But outside the U.S., cities are seeing much higher booking rates throughout the tournament, with Monterrey at 60% on June 20, Mexico City at 61% on June 11, and Guadalajara at 73% on June 18.
For many fans looking to book travel to World Cup games this summer, cost has been a defining factor.
Ticket prices have reached record highs for this year’s World Cup, with FIFA’s official listings for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium going for $32,970 per seat, more than triple the average Super Bowl resale price in February. In New York, round-trip train tickets from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium were initially set at $150 before being lowered to $98. The same ticket from Penn Station to MetLife typically costs $12.90.
“There is significant sticker shock and there are many customers and groups who have experienced previous World Cups who have been priced out of this edition of the tournament,” Dave Guenther, president of luxury sports travel company Roadtrips, tells FOS. Guenther says the problem started with ticket costs but was compounded by lodging companies that priced aggressively early.
