US hotel bookings for World Cup trail expectations

WASHINGTON: Hotel reservations linked to the FIFA World Cup in the United States are running well below what the industry had anticipated, according to a survey released by the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) just over a month before the tournament begins.

The AHLA said it surveyed members across the 11 US metropolitan areas due to host World Cup matches, stretching from New York to Los Angeles. The findings, published on Monday as part of the group’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Hotel Outlook, showed that 80 percent of respondents said bookings were below their initial projections.

The survey also found that about 65 percent of respondents pointed to visa-related obstacles and wider geopolitical concerns as factors weighing on demand.

The United States is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada. The opening match is scheduled for June 11 in Mexico City, while the final is due to be played in New Jersey on July 19.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly highlighted the country’s role in staging football’s biggest event. At the same time, his administration has pursued a broad crackdown on visas for people seeking to enter the United States.

The Trump administration has told FIFA that ticket holders will be facilitated in obtaining visas, although all applicants will still be subject to strict vetting procedures.

The AHLA survey also reflected concerns beyond visa processing. Fan groups have raised issues over expensive tickets, alleged price gouging in the secondary market, and the cost of travelling between venues to attend matches.

Responses from hotel operators suggested uneven and, in some places, particularly weak demand. In Kansas City, bookings were reported to be so far below expectations that they were even trailing normal levels for June and July.

In Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, many respondents described the tournament as a non-event.

Industry outlook

The survey results presented a downbeat assessment for the hotel sector in several host cities despite the scale of the tournament and the time still remaining before kickoff. While the AHLA pointed to signs that demand could still improve, its members’ responses indicated that early expectations for a major World Cup-driven surge in hotel occupancy have not yet materialised.

The World Cup will be staged across North America, with the United States hosting matches in 11 metropolitan areas. The AHLA’s latest findings suggest that, for now, many hotel operators in those cities are seeing reservations fall short of what they had expected from one of the world’s largest sporting events.