Hotels Are Hoping For a Last-Minute World Cup Surge. Will It Come?
Photo Credit: Aerial view of Estadio Azteca Mexico City, a venue for the 2026 World Cup. Adobe Stock / RNL Fotografia
Skift Take
Operators are banking on spur-of-the-moment travel from soccer fans who want to see their favorite teams play in the World Cup. Data suggests there are reasons to be optimistic, but it’s still not clear how big of a surge last-minute bookings will bring.
The World Cup is here. The booking surge many hotels were expecting isn't — at least not yet.
At the start of 2026, hotels hiked prices and set minimum-stay requirements in anticipation of the World Cup, according to Evan Saunders, senior vice president of travel at Azira, a consumer insights platform that works with tourism boards and hotels.
By the time March rolled around, properties faced a “reality check associated with the lack of demand.”
The hope from operators is that bookings within the 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada will spike once soccer fans know which teams are playing in later-stage matches. Early group-stage matches kick off Thursday afternoon in Mexico, but it’s still not clear which teams will advance to the knockout rounds that run from June 28 through the July 19 final.
"It's right to say that at this point in time the pickup has not been what we expected, period,” Jonat
