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World Cup, international hotel bookings running far below projections

sportsMay 5, 2026161,051

Hotel reservations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States are running far below forecasts, according to an American Hotel & Lodging Association market analysis. Visa processing delays for international travelers, soaring airfares, a strong U.S. dollar and geopolitical tensions have kept many foreign fans from booking, cutting demand from the tournament's highest-spending visitors. The shortfall puts as much as $30 billion in expected tourism spending at risk and could force hotels in host cities to lower rates or operate under capacity. That matters because reduced international attendance will shrink local tax revenue, undercut hospitality jobs and weaken the long-term economic legacy the event was expected to deliver.

Rebekah Valentine
@duckvalentine.bsky.social

No one inside the U.S. has any money for expensive vacations, no one outside the U.S. wants to get arrested or shot by ICE, and anyone who is willing to travel for the World Cup isn't picking the city where every destination is a 30 minute Uber ride apart

667Yesterday
Rebekah Valentine131

I love KC with all my heart but I cannot recommend it above most of the other options and I would tell all my international friends to stay home regardless.

Tauriq Moosa16

And those of us foreigners who HAVE to be there don't want to be: My brother has to return for PhD. When he was there earlier, he went to a pro-Palestine rally, was put on one of a Canary Mission list & doxed to ICE, so they'd come knocking. Scary time for us. (He's safe now but has to return later)

Dustin10

I hate it for the players, but I hope WC tanks this year. This is something my friends and I have been looking forward to since it was announced.

sammy v7

I'm shocked by their projection of 650k tourists. The metro area is made up of just over 2 million, and the expectation is to add a third of the existing population? I truly do not think that e space is there to accommodate??

Doug Messel5

This isn't stopping Olathe hotels from charging exorbitant rates, though. My parents were supposed to come out in June, and it was going to be $1600 for like five nights. At a Holiday Inn Express!

evolbrew4

I think the best KC can hope for is that this all kind of comes and goes without much attention. At least the streets will be nice to drive on after (they better be after the last few months).

Justin Carter4

Not to mention when construction ramps up, parts of the city are just a nightmare to get to 😬

Matthew Williams4

Yeah, can't say there's much enthusiasm outside the US at the minute. The costs (some of which lie with FIFA) and the open hostility from the US Government to other nations is not encouraging. I don't like how far out the stadia are, but that's a bit of a cultural difference.

𝖇𝖔𝖔 🍉𓅉🚲3

wild how he's managed to ruin both pro golf & pro soccer

sockandsandals.bsky.social2

America is also not overloaded with soccer lovers. A ton of the draw was going to come from outside the country. But I would not travel here right now were i not a citizen. No way.

Joe Ward2

Jet fuel supplies are probably also going to affect this if the Hormuz Strait remains closed. Especially from poorer countries

Jesse Hawken
@jessehawken.bsky.social

Hmm apparently hotel bookings are way down for the World Cup, which starts in 5 weeks

170Yesterday
Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary)7

somehow, Border Patrol boasting they'd be "suited and booted" for the Cup hasn't enticed a wave of visitors

Brendan2

I was sure hotel companies and tourism based cities would be screaming for breaking out the heart attack gun by now.

Pat Schmear2

You’d think the hotel president would know what would encourage people to come and stay in hotels. Starting to think he’s not the business mastermind he says he is

Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA
@krutikakuppalli.bsky.social

🚨 I wrote in @statnews.com on the #hantavirus cruise ship outbreak & highlight how quickly outbreaks can evolve. It’s a reminder of what the U.S. has risked by stepping back from @who.int With World Cup ahead, global surveillance and coordination are essential. www.statnews.com/2026/05/05/h...

85Yesterday
Farhad Ali8

Critical read — hantavirus on a cruise ship is a stark reminder that infectious disease doesn't wait for political convenience. With the World Cup bringing millions across borders, walking away from @WHO isn't just shortsighted, it's a gamble with public health at scale.

Will Harris
@sandwichpick.bsky.social

Weird is there something going on that's making people abroad not want to come to the US AND making Americans cancel their summer travel plans?

With only six weeks to go before the start of the World Cup, hotels at most of the cities hosting the tournament are facing a major problem: Bookings are running far below what thev haa expected. For some metro areas such as Kansas City, bookings are running even below what a typical June or Julv would bring, according to an industry survey released on Monday by the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
31Yesterday
Laurent Dubois
@soccerpolitics.bsky.social

My wonderful students in "Soccer Politics" this semester at UVA have created this wide-ranging and critical guide to the 2026 Men's World Cup. Check it out, spread the word and share your thoughts! soccerpolitics.org/tournament-g...

14Yesterday
Alex Knapp
@thealexknapp.bsky.social

"FIFA hyped the World Cup as an economic juggernaut for the U.S.—but with five weeks until the tournament kicks off, the hotel industry says advanced bookings in some host cities are on par or lagging any ordinary summer." www.forbes.com/sites/suzann...

11Yesterday
Oh No Its Lu Bu
@cheflubu.bsky.social

I said FROM THE JUMP the world cup in Atlanta will be a fucking disaster

16Yesterday
Murshed Zaheed
@murshedz.bsky.social

“A majority of hotels in the 2026 World Cup’s 11 U.S. host cities are reporting underwhelming demand for stays during the tournament, according to new data released Monday by the American Hotel and Lodging Association.” Wonder why?

12Yesterday
John Magee
@eugenebwhitaker.bsky.social

There shouldn't be a single article out there wondering WHY hotels are under booked this summer even with a world cup coming to the country. It's clear to anyone with a pulse why

11Yesterday
Lee West
@whodat35.bsky.social

New Report Warns World Cup Hotel Boom May Fall Short of Expectations AHLA market analysis spotlights the challenges facing host cities | AHLA www.ahla.com/news/new-rep...

Soccer ball can be seen in the middle of a playing field with stadium stands in the background.
8Yesterday
Darrin Hall5

I can't imagine an international tourist wanting to come here right now.

Citizen, Interrupted2

I doubt people will be very eager to come to this god-forsaken place at this time.

Farhad Ali
@healthasiaguy.bsky.social

Critical read — hantavirus on a cruise ship is a stark reminder that infectious disease doesn't wait for political convenience. With the World Cup bringing millions across borders, walking away from @WHO isn't just shortsighted, it's a gamble with public health at scale.

8Yesterday
The Big G
@wrgerlach.bsky.social

Hotels have a big World Cup problem: Bookings are running far below projections Please don’t come as a protest. Reminds me of Berlin Olympics of 1936. www.ushmm.org/exhibition/o... Trump is shitting on our country. Celebrate your team on TV. Personally I wish we had a better President.

3Yesterday
Matthew Williams
@mattheww1991.bsky.social

There was an article on the BBC about the cost for UK based fans and it's just so expensive. Major tournaments usually are but this feels like another level: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

5Yesterday
Haley
@haleydeanna.bsky.social

As a Kansas citizen the thing I’m looking forward to the most about the World Cup is when I stop hearing about the World Cup.

3Yesterday
Martin Calladine
@uglygame.bsky.social

Yesterday, with $150m-partner ADI Predictstreet's website having been down for two days, Fifa added the company to its list of global partners. This morning, ADI managed to restore its website, so it shows a single image and the claim that they are "coming soon." World Cup 2026 begins in 37 days...

Screenshot of Fifa website, with partner page ADI Predictstreet
4Yesterday
3 sources
barcablaugranes.comBarcelona star Lamine Yamal takes a step forward in his recovery from injury ahead of World Cup 2026soccerwithdoug.substack.com‘A catalyst for change’: Josh Blank on Atlanta’s World Cup moment and lasting legacyinquirer.comWill keeping Philly bars open later during the World Cup be worth it? Philly bars weigh in.

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