Early booking data for the 2026 FIFA World Cup shows strong short-term rental demand across host cities, with growth shaped by match lineups, supply constraints, and pricing.

Short-Term Rental Demand Builds Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Short-term rental bookings for World Cup dates are already up sharply year-over-year across most host cities.

Demand and pricing power are strongest in supply-constrained markets and cities hosting highly anticipated matches.

Travelers are booking early with a preference for flexibility and lower-priced listings as rates rise.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to draw record-breaking travel to cities across North America. Spanning 39 days and taking place across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the tournament will be the biggest in FIFA history. FIFA estimates that more than 5 million fans will attend one or more of the 104 matches scheduled between June 11 and July 19, 2026.

While hotels will account for the majority of World Cup accommodations, short-term rentals are expected to play a critical supporting role, particularly in host cities with limited hotel supply. Airbnb, the official Alternative Accommodations and Experiences Booking Platform for the FIFA World Cup 2026, estimates that more than 380,000 guests will stay in Airbnb listings during the tournament, contributing approximately $3.6 billion to local host city economies.

AirDNA has been closely tracking short-term rental demand across Airbnb and Vrbo ahead of the FIFA World Cup, and current booking trends are reinforcing expectations that the 2026 tournament will drive significant incremental travel demand and revenue across North America.

Bookings Are Surging Across World Cup Cities

Current demand for World Cup dates is up 110% year-over-year (YOY) across all host cities, led by dramatic growth in Mexico. Bookings in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey are each up more than 300% YoY.

In the United States, Kansas City is seeing the strongest year-over-year increase in bookings, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. While most host cities are experiencing triple-digit YoY growth for World Cup dates (June 11–July 19, 2026), a handful of markets, including Seattle, Vancouver, and San Francisco, are seeing more muted growth.

With four months still remaining before the World Cup, a significant share of bookings has yet to materialize. Booking activity to date has been closely tied to key ticketing milestones, including ticket releases and the official draw.

During the Visa Presale, the first release of more than 1 million tickets, there was a modest uptick in short-term rental bookings in the second and third weeks of October as early ticket holders began securing accommodations. A larger increase followed the Early Ticket Draw on November 12, which released an additional 1 million tickets.

The most pronounced surge in booking activity occurred after the Final Draw on December 5, when group stage matchups were announced. In the two weeks following the Final Draw, bookings for group stage games across all host cities jumped 50%. Since then, bookings have continued to grow at a steady pace of approximately 10% per week.

Group Stage Demand Is Concentrated in a Handful of Host Cities

Larger cities that are established travel destinations and have greater short-term rental supply currently account for the highest number of Group Stage bookings. Mexico City, New York, and Miami are leading all host cities in total Group Stage bookings to date.

Despite seeing strong year-over-year booking growth, Monterrey, Philadelphia, and Kansas City currently lag the furthest behind in Group Stage bookings.

Match lineups are a key factor shaping demand in each city. Miami is hosting four of the top ten most booked matches, including:

New York is also hosting four of the top ten matches: 

Mexico City rounds out the top ten, hosting RSA vs MEX and COL vs UZB.

Across all 72 Group Stage games, the most in-demand matches at this stage feature Scotland, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Panama. Each of these teams has generated more than 19,000 booked nights for Group Stage games. In contrast, the teams currently seeing the lowest demand include Algeria, Curaçao, South Korea, and Tunisia.

Emerging Booking Patterns Across World Cup Host Cities

As booking activity for the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues to build, early reservation data is offering clear signals into how guests are planning their stays. 

With match schedules still evolving and prices rising in many host cities, travelers are making deliberate decisions around flexibility, length of stay, and price.

1. Flexibility is a priority as travelers book early

With the World Cup still months away and many matches yet to be finalized, travelers are prioritizing flexibility as they book their World Cup stays. Some guests are securing accommodation before purchasing match tickets, further increasing demand for listings that allow for last-minute changes.

Bookings for stays with flexible cancellation policies that allow cancellation up to 24 hours before check-in are up 277% year over year. Stays with moderate cancellation policies, which allow free cancellation up to several days before check-in, are up 198% YoY. While bookings for more restrictive policies are also increasing, growth remains strongest for listings that offer greater flexibility.

2. Length of stay varies sharply by host city appeal

Across host cities, the majority of World Cup bookings are currently for shorter stays. Overall, 31% of reservations are for 1–2 nights, 35% for 3–4 nights, 26% for 5–10 nights, and 8% for stays longer than 10 nights. However, average length of stay varies significantly by destination.

In popular tourist markets such as Miami, New York, and Mexico City, reservations lasting 5–10 days account for more than one third of bookings, as guests combine match attendance with broader leisure travel. In host cities with lower leisure travel demand, such as Philadelphia and Kansas City, roughly 80% of reservations are for four days or fewer.


For most host cities, 1–2 night stays are concentrated around match days. In cities where guests extend their visits beyond the game itself, 5–10 night bookings most often begin on the weekend preceding a match, with travelers arriving early and staying through the game. This pattern is especially pronounced in Mexico City.

In Miami, in addition to short stays around match days and longer stays starting on weekends, the city also sees a sizable share of 3–4 night bookings beginning on Thursdays. This reflects guests modestly extending their weekends and arriving ahead of weekend matches.

Understanding these booking patterns is especially important for hosts preparing for the World Cup. Aligning pricing and minimum stay requirements with expected stay lengths around each match can help maximize occupancy and revenue, while reducing orphan nights between reservations.

3. Rising rates are pushing guests toward lower priced listings

Across host cities, occupancy rates are similar across bedroom counts, suggesting that guests are not consistently favoring smaller or larger properties.

Differences become more pronounced when looking at price tiers. Lower priced listings are seeing higher occupancy in most host cities, with economy and budget properties outperforming upscale and luxury options.

Boston, Kansas City, and Vancouver show the strongest preference for lower priced listings, likely driven by rising rates pushing guests toward more affordable accommodations. In all three cities, more than one third of short term rentals are already booked for game days and game eves. 

Limited supply and strong demand are giving hosts greater pricing power, driving available rates sharply higher. Compared to last year, available rates on game days and game eves have increased 75% in Boston, 160% in Vancouver, and 220% in Kansas City, the largest increase among host cities. As rates climb, guests appear to be gravitating toward more budget friendly options.

Atlanta and Guadalajara currently stand out as exceptions, with noticeably higher occupancy among higher priced listings. This suggests stronger demand from higher spending travelers in those markets.

Supply Constrained Markets Lead Occupancy Performance

As noted earlier, cities with more constrained accommodation supply are seeing the largest occupancy gains for the World Cup. The five markets with the highest occupancy rates across game days and game eves to date are Seattle, Guadalajara, Boston, Vancouver, and Kansas City. Compared to larger markets such as Los Angeles and Miami, each of these cities has less than half the available hotel and short-term rental inventory. This limited supply is driving outsized occupancy gains, with all five markets already exceeding 30% occupancy on game days and game eves.

More broadly, markets with a larger supply of accommodation are currently experiencing lower occupancy rates. New York stands out as a notable exception. Despite having a large number of accommodations, the city’s ban on short-term rentals of 30 days or fewer has redirected demand to nearby markets, resulting in increased occupancy in Jersey City and Newark.

With four months remaining until the World Cup, additional short-term rental supply is likely to enter the market as residents in host cities capitalize on this once-in-a-lifetime revenue opportunity. Markets with the most constrained supply have seen the strongest listing growth over the past six months and are likely to continue leading in new supply. Listings grew more than 5% between June and December 2025 in Seattle, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Kansas City.

World Cup Rate Premiums Will Depend on How Market Conditions Evolve

How supply, demand, and occupancy evolve in the coming months will determine the rate premiums hosts are able to capture during the World Cup.

To date, most World Cup host cities have seen only modest rate premiums. Across host markets, booked rates for game days and game eves are up 15% year-over-year. In some cities, such as San Francisco, softer demand is weighing on rate growth. In others, limited gains likely reflect guests booking early before hosts adjusted pricing.

Mexico’s host cities, which have led year-over-year demand growth, have delivered the strongest increases so far, with booked rates up as much as 123% YoY.

As the World Cup approaches, available rates are expected to diverge more clearly by market. In cities with limited supply and high occupancy, rates are likely to remain elevated or rise further, while softer markets may see prices fluctuate or decline as inventory goes unsold. As more bookings are made at higher price points, the gap between available and booked rates is expected to narrow. Pricing power will be increasingly concentrated in the cities with the highest occupancy.

Staying Ahead of Shifting World Cup Booking Dynamics

The World Cup is a highly dynamic event, and supply, demand, and rates are expected to continue shifting in the months ahead. 

A large share of demand has yet to be booked, while additional short-term rental supply is still coming to market, meaning pricing conditions will continue to evolve as the tournament approaches. Although Group Stage matchups are now set, qualifying round games will not be finalized until after the Group Stage, and demand for those matches will depend heavily on which teams advance.

To help hosts and market participants monitor these changes as they unfold, AirDNA has developed a World Cup dashboard that is updated weekly with the latest demand, occupancy, and rate trends across every host city and World Cup match. For those evaluating hosting opportunities during the tournament, AirDNA has also introduced a World Cup revenue calculator, which allows users to estimate potential earnings for a specific property based on its location.

Without reliable rental comps, you're making pricing decisions in the dark. Use real data to compare your listing performance to similar properties and discover your true market position.

Early booking data shows short-term rental demand rising across World Cup 2026 host cities, with supply constraints, pricing shifts, and booking patterns already emerging.

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Short-Term Rental Demand Builds Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

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