With only six weeks to go before the start of the World Cup, hotels in most of the host cities are staring at a nightmare. The crowds were supposed to come. The rooms were supposed to fill. The summer was supposed to be a windfall.
Instead, bookings are running far below what they expected.
For some metro areas, such as Kansas City, bookings are running even below what a typical June or July would bring, according to an industry survey released on Monday by the American Hotel and Lodging Association. The report, conducted last month, is based on 205 respondents “representing hotel operators and owners, many of whom own multiple hotel portfolios across the country and across multiple World Cup markets.”
The disappointment comes after the hotel industry was bracing for a strong summer in 2026. The World Cup is taking place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — with 11 US cities hosting games. In addition, the US is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which was also expected to bring an influx of foreign visitors. Overseas visitors are critical to the hotel industry because they tend to spend more and stay longer.
But they are not coming.
The Numbers Are Bleak
The AHLA said the disappointing bookings stem from fewer than expected international travelers and large cancellations by FIFA — the organizer of the World Cup — leaving hotels with an unexpectedly large number of empty rooms.
“Despite more than 5 million tickets sold (for World Cup matches), this demand has not yet translated into strong hotel bookings,” the AHLA said in the report.
The warning is stark: nearly 80 percent of hotel bookings across host cities are running below initial forecasts, according to the survey. In Kansas City, 85 to 90 percent of hotels reported bookings below projections.
That is not a minor shortfall. That is a systemic collapse in expected demand.
World Cup organizers in Kansas City pushed back against the survey, telling The Athletic that embassy staff from countries such as the Netherlands are deploying additional staff to the city in anticipation of a high number of visitors. Tournament organizers in the city still stand by their ambitious projection to attract 650,000 visitors over the course of the World Cup. But the hotel data suggests those projections may be wildly optimistic.
Bright Spots, But Not Enough
There were bright spots, however, for host cities Miami and Atlanta. About half of the survey respondents in the capital of Georgia reported bookings in line with or ahead of projections, while about 55 percent of respondents in Florida’s biggest metro area reported stronger-than-expected projections.
But two cities cannot拯救 an entire tournament. If Kansas City is struggling and other mid-sized host cities are facing similar shortfalls, the overall picture is one of widespread disappointment.
Why Travelers Are Staying Away
The survey results appear to be another sign that overseas travelers are not planning to come to the United States in the numbers once expected, as a result of a slew of factors, including tighter immigration policies under the Trump administration.
“Even with global anticipation building, the path to the US for many World Cup travelers feels increasingly less like a red-carpet welcome,” the AHLA said in its survey. “There is a perception that international travelers may face lengthy visa wait times, increased visa fees, and lingering uncertainty around entry processing.”
The AHLA also cited other factors such as the strong US dollar — which makes travel to America more expensive for foreigners — and concerns about airport screening as “contributing to a growing sense that visiting the US for the World Cup may be more complicated and costly.”
In other words, the same administration that touted the World Cup as a chance to showcase America has also erected barriers that are keeping international visitors away.
The Official Response
FIFA has continued to tout the “unprecedented” demand for the tournament and has said it expects the World Cup to break attendance records. That is the official line. But the hotel bookings tell a different story.
Meanwhile, White House spokesman Davis Ingle told NPR last week that the tournament “will no doubt be one of the greatest and most spectacular events in the history of mankind,” and that “President Trump is focused on ensuring that this is not only an incredible experience for all fans and visitors, but also the safest and most secure in history.”
Safety and security are important. But if fans cannot get visas, or fear they will be turned away at the border, or find that travel to America is simply too expensive and too complicated, then safety becomes irrelevant. An empty stadium is a very safe stadium. It is also a failed event.
The Bottom Line
With six weeks until the World Cup kicks off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, hotel bookings at most host cities are running far below projections. An industry survey found that nearly 80 percent of hotel bookings across host cities are below initial forecasts. In Kansas City, 85 to 90 percent of hotels reported bookings below what a typical June or July would bring.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association blames fewer than expected international travelers and large cancellations by FIFA. Factors include tight US immigration policies, lengthy visa wait times, increased visa fees, a strong dollar, and concerns about airport screening. While Miami and Atlanta are showing some strength, most host cities are facing a hotel nightmare.
