For Corporate Travel, the 2026 World Cup Is Becoming a Multi-City Business Platform
Photo Credit: A hospitality suite for the 2026 World Cup. Adobe stock images
Skift Take
For a tournament billed as a once-in-a-lifetime business travel moment, friction over U.S. border rules poses a real threat to revenue and the experience.
With matches spread across 16 host cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, travel management companies say their corporate clients are treating the tournament less like a single event and more like a multi-city business platform for client entertainment, incentive travel, and executive hosting.
Much of the planning for this has been ongoing for years, they said.
“It’s not a one-off trip,” said Billy McDonough, president of FCM Travel Americas. “Companies are looking at the World Cup as a multi-market opportunity to engage clients and partners on a global stage.”
Incentive Travel, RebrandedThe World Cup is accelerating a trend that has been building across business travel: pairing major sporting events with relationship-driven travel rather than traditional meetings.
Corporate clients are using matches as anchors for leadership summits, sales meetings, and incentive programs, according to FCM and Direct Travel. The appeal is not
