FIFA World Cup 2026 STR Forecast: Booking Surges, Revenue Projections, and What the Data Says

The FIFA World Cup comes to North America in 2026, and the numbers coming in from short-term rental markets tell a story that’s hard to ignore. We’re seeing booking surges that exceed 1,900% year over year in some cities, revenue projections that could put $156 million into the pockets of U.S. hosts alone, and booking behavior that’s turning urban markets upside down.

Let me walk you through what the data actually says. No hype, just the numbers and what they mean for hosts in the 16 cities preparing to welcome the world.

The Overall Picture: $156M and 382,000 Guests

Here’s the headline figure from Deloitte’s economic analysis commissioned by Airbnb. U.S. hosts are projected to earn approximately $156 million during the tournament period, which runs from June 11 through July 19, 2026. When you add in Canadian and Mexican host cities, that number climbs to $212 million across all 16 host markets.

Now, let’s break that down to something more relatable. The average host across these markets is projected to earn about $4,000 during the World Cup, or roughly $262 per night. That’s based on an expected 382,000 Airbnb guests attending matches across North America.

The broader economic picture is substantial too. Spending by these guests is estimated to generate approximately $3.6 billion in total economic activity, supporting an estimated 34,770 full-time equivalent jobs across 2026. For context, that’s the kind of impact you usually see spread across multiple years of tourism growth, compressed into five weeks.

Which Cities Are Seeing the Biggest Booking Surges?

When FIFA released the match schedule on December 5, 2025, the short-term rental market reacted immediately. According to data from KeyData Dashboard, the week following that announcement saw a 29% average increase in net reservations per property across all host cities compared to the same week in 2024.

But that average masks some extraordinary variation. Let’s look at the cities where demand has absolutely exploded.

Guadalajara, Mexico leads the pack with reservations per property up 1,989% year over year for the tournament period. Yes, you read that right. Nearly 2,000% growth. That’s what happens when a city becomes the focal point for an entire nation’s World Cup hosting duties.

Greater Boston follows closely at 1,954% growth in reservations per property. Boston’s also seeing something else remarkable in the data. Travelers are booking an average of 122 days in advance, compared to the typical 25-35 day booking window for urban markets. That’s resort destination behavior showing up in a city market.

Kansas City is up 1,271% in reservations per property, with revenue per property jumping 3,841% year over year. Kansas City also saw one of the strongest immediate reactions to the schedule release, with bookings up 606% year over year in early December.

Greater Philadelphia shows reservations up 743% and revenue per property up 466%. Philadelphia hosts are projected to earn an average of $1,900 during the tournament, and the region expects to generate $167 million in total revenue.

Greater Atlanta rounds out the top performers with reservations up 513% year over year. Airbnb projects Atlanta hosts will collectively earn nearly $3 million, averaging about $3,700 per host over the tournament period.

In the immediate aftermath of the schedule release, the booking spike was even more dramatic. Boston saw a 869% year-over-year increase in bookings during the first week of December. Philadelphia jumped 275%, and Atlanta wasn’t far behind.

Texas Markets: Dallas and Houston

Since this is StaySTRA and many of our readers follow Texas markets closely, lets look specifically at what’s happening in Dallas and Houston.

Dallas is projected to generate the highest economic impact of any U.S. host city at $502 million. The region expects 2.3 million visitors for World Cup matches, and Airbnb hosts in Dallas are projected to earn an average of $4,400 during the tournament. That’s the second-highest per-host projection among U.S. cities, trailing only New York-New Jersey.

The data shows bookings in Dallas spiked 102% immediately after the schedule announcement. One interesting behavioral shift: average stay length has compressed by 40% compared to typical booking patterns. Travelers are booking shorter stays tied to specific match dates rather than extended trips.

Houston is also seeing strong activity, with hosts projected to earn an average of $3,000 during the World Cup. Houston’s stay length has compressed by 29%, showing similar match-tied booking behavior to Dallas. The city’s geography and multi-match hosting schedule create opportunities in well-connected neighborhoods near light rail corridors like the Medical Center, Museum District, and Midtown.

Both Texas markets are showing the kind of advance booking windows you’d normally see in resort destinations. That’s good news for hosts who plan ahead, but it also means the window for capturing peak pricing may already be closing in some neighborhoods.

For a deeper look at current Dallas and Houston STR metrics, check out the Dallas market profile and Houston market profile on StaySTRA.

Where Host Earnings Are Projected Highest

Not all host cities are created equal when it comes to projected earnings. The Deloitte analysis breaks it down by market, and the range is substantial.

New York-New Jersey leads the pack at $5,700 projected earnings per host. That’s partly because the region hosts the final match on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, creating massive demand concentration. Airbnb projects the NY-NJ market will collectively generate up to $20 million in host earnings.

Dallas comes in second among U.S. cities at $4,400 per host, as we mentioned earlier.

Atlanta hosts are projected to earn $3,700 on average.

Houston and the San Francisco Bay Area are tied at $3,000 per host each.

Philadelphia rounds out the reported projections at $1,900 per host.

These projections are based on typical hosting patterns, expected occupancy during the tournament period, and a 90% surge in average nightly rates compared to typical summer travel. Your actual earnings will depend on factors like property type, location relative to stadiums and transit, amenities, and how you price during peak match windows.

The Cities Where Demand Is Flat or Falling

Now here’s where the data gets really interesting, because not every host city is seeing the same enthusiasm from travelers. Some markets are actually showing flat or declining reservation activity despite the World Cup coming to town.

San Francisco Bay Area is essentially flat at 0% reservation growth for the event period, even as average daily rates have jumped 134%. That suggests hosts are pricing aggressively, but travelers aren’t biting. The region is still projected to generate $3,000 per host, but that’s driven more by rate increases than occupancy.

Los Angeles is seeing reservations per property decline 10% year over year for the tournament period. Revenue per property is also down 12%. L.A. has massive hotel capacity and a sprawling geography that may be diffusing demand rather than concentrating it the way smaller host cities are experiencing.

Vancouver shows reservations down 11% year over year, with average daily rates dropping 22%. That’s the opposite pattern from San Francisco. Fewer bookings and lower rates suggest Vancouver may be dealing with cross-border travel friction or simply less enthusiastic demand from the traveling fan base.

This variation matters. If you’re a host in one of these slower markets, the World Cup may not be the windfall you’re expecting. The data is telling you to be realistic about occupancy projections and not count on rates that the market isn’t supporting.

How Booking Behavior Is Changing

One of the most striking patterns in the World Cup data is how far in advance travelers are booking. This is completely reshaping what we know about urban short-term rental markets.

Normally, urban markets see booking windows of 25-35 days. Travelers book a city trip a month out, maybe six weeks if it’s a big event. But World Cup travel is behaving like resort destination travel, with booking windows stretching into multiple months.

Boston travelers are booking an average of 122 days out. That’s four months in advance.

Atlanta bookings average 66 days in advance.

Philadelphia is seeing 43-day advance bookings.

Guadalajara saw a 425% year-over-year increase in advance booking windows.

This extended planning horizon makes sense when you consider the global nature of World Cup travel. International fans are coordinating flights, match tickets, and accommodations simultaneously, often months before the tournament. That’s fundamentally different from domestic business or leisure travel.

The flip side is that average stay length is compressing. Dallas is down 40%, Houston down 29%. Travelers are booking shorter stays tied to specific match dates rather than extended multi-city trips. That means higher turnover, more cleanings, and potentially more guest communications packed into a short window.

What This Means for Hosts

Let me bring this back to something practical. If you’re a host in one of these markets, what should you actually do with this data?

First, understand where your market sits in the demand curve. If you’re in Boston, Kansas City, Philadelphia, or Atlanta, you’re in markets where demand is genuinely explosive and you have pricing power. If you’re in San Francisco, L.A., or Vancouver, temper your expectations and don’t overprice yourself out of the market.

Second, recognize that much of the early booking surge has already happened. The schedule was released in December 2025, and travelers booked immediately. If you’re reading this in February 2026 and haven’t started preparing or optimizing your listing, you’re not early. You’re working with what’s left.

Third, prepare for operational intensity. Shorter stays mean more turnover. International guests mean different expectations around communication, check-in flexibility, and local information. If you’re used to hosting domestic leisure travelers, World Cup hosting will be a different rhythm.

Fourth, don’t assume every week of the tournament is equal. Demand is concentrated around specific matches, particularly knockout rounds and the final. The group stage creates steadier but lower-peak demand. The final in New York-New Jersey on July 19 is driving the bulk of that market’s projected earnings.

Run the Numbers for Your Market

Want to see how your property stacks up in a World Cup host city? Our free calculators pull real market data so you can estimate revenue, occupancy, and expenses based on current conditions.

For Dallas hosts, check out the Dallas Airbnb Calculator. Houston hosts can use the Houston Airbnb Calculator.

These tools won’t predict World Cup surge pricing (that’s still too variable and market-dependent), but they’ll give you a baseline for what your property typically generates, which is the starting point for any World Cup revenue projection.

A Note on Accuracy

We do our best to keep our data accurate and up to date, but markets move fast and we are only human. The projections cited in this article come from Airbnb’s commissioned Deloitte analysis, KeyData Dashboard, AirDNA, and Rental Scale-Up, all published between December 2025 and February 2026. Actual results will vary based on individual property characteristics, final match schedules, team performance, and a hundred other variables we can’t predict from here in Santa Fe.

Always verify current figures directly with local sources before making investment decisions. The World Cup is a unique event, and past performance in even comparable markets (2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia, 2022 Qatar) doesn’t necessarily predict 2026 outcomes in North American cities with completely different market structures.

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