The FIFA World Cup Is 8 Weeks Away. Here Is How All 11 U.S. Host Cities Are Regulating Short-Term Rentals Right Now.

Eight weeks from today, the FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States. Eleven American cities will host matches. Airbnb searches in those cities have surged 80% year over year. Deloitte projects hosts could collectively earn $212 million on Airbnb alone during the tournament window.

The money is real. So are the rules.

If you own or operate a short-term rental in a World Cup host city, the question is not whether demand is coming. It is whether you can legally capture it. StaySTRA reviewed the regulatory landscape in all 11 host cities as of April 2026 and found a patchwork that ranges from Kansas City’s $50 event permit to New York City’s near-total ban. Some cities are rolling out the welcome mat. Others are doubling down on enforcement at the worst possible time for hosts hoping to capitalize on a once-in-a-generation event.

The 11-City Regulatory Status Matrix

The table below captures where each host city stands right now. Scan to your city. Know your status. Then read the narrative sections that follow for the details that matter most.

The Four Regulatory Stories That Matter Most

Dallas: A Ban That Cannot Be Enforced (Yet)

Dallas passed two ordinances in 2023 that effectively banned short-term rentals in single-family residential neighborhoods and imposed strict registration and occupancy rules everywhere else. The Dallas Short-Term Rental Alliance sued, and a state district court issued a temporary injunction blocking enforcement. The city appealed. The Fifth District Court of Appeals sided with STR operators three separate times, in February, July, and August of 2025, finding that plaintiffs were likely to succeed in proving the ordinances violated their constitutional property rights.

Dallas then petitioned the Texas Supreme Court, explicitly arguing it needs enforcement authority before the World Cup. As of April 2026, the case remains pending. The injunction holds. STR operators in Dallas are legally operating, but that could change with a single ruling.

StaySTRA data shows Dallas has 4,700+ active STR listings with a $222 average daily rate and 46.7% occupancy. Deloitte projects the average Dallas host could earn $4,400 during the tournament. The stakes for a Supreme Court decision are not abstract. They are measured in thousands of listings and millions of dollars.

New York City: The Hardest Line in America

Local Law 18 remains the most restrictive STR framework in any World Cup host city. Hosts must register with the Office of Special Enforcement, be physically present during every guest stay, and cannot host more than two guests at a time. Entire-home rentals under 30 days are effectively illegal.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed there will be no World Cup exception. The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, backed by chambers across all five boroughs, proposed a temporary suspension of the ban for June and July 2026. City Council committee chairs blocked the proposal. The city’s position is that homes should remain homes, not be converted into makeshift hotels during a month of soccer.

For hosts in the New York metro area, the action is shifting to New Jersey. New Jersey communities near MetLife Stadium are expanding their own STR restrictions, but suburban towns like Montclair have seen a 169% increase in short-term rental occupancy during the group stage window compared to last year. The regulatory tension between opportunity and restriction is playing out block by block across the Hudson.

Houston: Permits Required, but the Clock Is Still Ticking

Houston’s first-ever STR ordinance took effect January 1, 2026, requiring all short-term rental operators to obtain a Certificate of Registration. The city gave operators a 90-day grace period. Enforcement began April 1, 2026, with fines ranging from $100 to $500 per day for unregistered operators.

The city reports 83% compliance. That sounds strong until you consider what the remaining 17% means in a metro with thousands of active listings. Unregistered operators are running a real risk. But here is the wrinkle that creates confusion: platform delisting does not start until January 1, 2027. Airbnb and Vrbo are not currently required to remove unregistered listings. That means a host without a permit can still be visible on platforms and booking guests while simultaneously racking up city fines.

If you are operating in Houston without a permit right now, the math is simple. Register. The fine exposure between now and the World Cup alone could dwarf the cost of compliance.

Kansas City: The Only City That Said Yes

Kansas City is the only host city that created a regulatory path specifically for the World Cup. Ordinance 250965, passed in November 2025, allows the Neighborhood Services Director to designate a “Major Event” period of up to 90 days when existing hotels and registered STRs are not likely to meet demand.

The result is a $50 Major Event STR permit (compared to the standard $200 annual fee) valid from May 3 through July 31, 2026. Property owners can apply through CompassKC. All other eligibility requirements, including zoning, density, and safety standards, still apply. Kansas City did not eliminate its regulations. It created a faster, cheaper on-ramp for property owners willing to meet them.

This is the middle ground that other host cities refused to consider. Boston, New York, and several others took the position that existing rules should not bend for a sporting event. Kansas City took the position that controlled supply expansion, with full safety and zoning compliance, serves both residents and visitors.

The Rest of the Field

Los Angeles

LA requires a Home-Sharing Registration ($89) and limits standard hosts to 120 rental nights per year. Extended permits ($1,066) allow year-round hosting with additional requirements. The primary residence requirement remains in effect. California’s SB 346, effective in 2025, now requires platforms to share booking data with city officials monthly. Fines for operating without registration reach $2,000 per day. If you are already registered and under the 120-day cap, the World Cup booking window fits within normal operations. If you are not registered, the enforcement risk is real.

Miami

Florida’s state preemption framework prevents cities from outright banning STRs, which makes Miami one of the more accessible World Cup host markets for investors. But “accessible” does not mean “unregulated.” Operators need a Florida DBPR vacation rental license, a Miami-Dade County Certificate of Use, and a City Business Tax Receipt. Zoning matters: the City of Miami restricts non-owner-occupied STRs to T5 and T6 zones. Miami Beach enforcement is aggressive. First-offense fines start at $20,000 and scale to $100,000 for repeat violations.

San Francisco

San Francisco’s Office of Short-Term Rentals enforces a primary residence requirement (275 days per year), a 90-day annual cap for unhosted rentals, and a $250 registration fee. Only about 1,800 to 2,200 hosts are registered citywide. The market is tight by design. No World Cup exception has been discussed. If you already hold a valid registration and have unhosted nights remaining under the 90-day cap, the tournament window is fair game. New entrants face a real timeline challenge to get registered before June.

Seattle

Seattle requires a business license tax certificate and an STR regulatory license ($75 per unit). Most operators are limited to two units: their primary residence and one additional property. Legacy operators who were active before September 2017 may qualify for additional units. No World Cup-specific regulatory changes have been made.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia distinguishes between Limited Lodging (primary residence, $150 license) and Visitor Accommodations (non-owner-occupied, permitted mainly in commercial and dense residential zones like Center City). A Commercial Activity License and zoning permit are required. The city collects an 8.5% Hotel Tax. Airbnb reports that North Philadelphia has seen 253% year-over-year booking growth for the World Cup window, making this one of the fastest-growing STR demand markets in the country.

Boston

Airbnb lobbied Boston to relax its rules for the World Cup. The city said no. Boston’s STR regulations remain unchanged: primary residence requirement (9 months per year), operator categories (Limited Share, Home Share, Owner-Adjacent), $1 million liability insurance, guest caps of 6 or 10 depending on category, and combined taxes up to 17.95%. Investment properties and non-owner-occupied units remain ineligible. The games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough (about 30 miles south of Boston) have pushed demand into suburban communities like Sharon, Massachusetts, where STR registration requirements are less restrictive.

Atlanta

Atlanta permits STRs in all residential zones with a $150 annual license. Owners can license up to two properties (primary residence plus one additional unit) with a 183-day primary residence requirement. Combined taxes reach 21% (city, county, and state hotel/motel taxes). No World Cup-specific enforcement changes have been announced. Atlanta’s relatively permissive framework, combined with strong tournament demand, makes it one of the more straightforward host cities for compliant operators.

Insurance and Liability: The Gap Nobody Is Talking About

Regardless of which city you operate in, standard homeowner’s insurance does not cover short-term rental activity. A single World Cup booking on a property without commercial coverage could void your policy entirely. Proper Insurance, Safely, and CBIZ are among the carriers offering STR-specific commercial homeowner’s policies. If you are listing for the first time to capture World Cup demand, coverage should be your first call, not your last.

Airbnb’s Host Protection Insurance provides up to $1 million in liability coverage, but it is not a substitute for a standalone policy. It does not cover property damage to your home, does not extend to incidents outside the rental period, and has exclusions that most hosts never read until they need to file a claim.

What Smart Hosts Are Doing Right Now

The hosts who will profit from the World Cup are not the ones scrambling in June. They are the ones who checked their permit status in April. Sources reveal that across all 11 host cities, the pattern is the same: compliance is the price of admission, and the cost of non-compliance is rising.

Here is the checklist that applies in every host city:

1. Verify your permit or registration is current. If you do not have one, apply now. Processing times vary from days (Kansas City) to weeks (San Francisco, NYC).
2. Confirm your zoning allows STR activity. Miami, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia all have zone-specific restrictions.
3. Get STR-specific insurance. Not Airbnb’s platform coverage. A standalone commercial homeowner’s policy.
4. Understand your tax obligations. Atlanta’s 21% combined rate and Boston’s 17.95% are among the highest. Build those into your pricing.
5. Price with the cap in mind. If you are in LA (120-day limit) or San Francisco (90-day limit), every night you rent during the World Cup is a night you cannot rent later in the year.

Run the numbers for your specific market using the StaySTRA Analyzer before you set your rates. Data indicates that hosts who price based on market-specific demand data outperform those relying on platform suggestions alone.

We do our best to keep our reporting accurate and up to date, but situations evolve and we are only human. Always verify current details directly with local officials and sources before making decisions.

Use the StaySTRA Analyzer to see real-time STR market data for your World Cup host city, including occupancy rates, average daily rates, and revenue benchmarks. Then check your city’s StaySTRA location page for the latest permit and regulatory details.