Not as many people as we thought, it would seem.
The World Cup only comes around every four years and regularly draws millions of spectators from across the globe.
But expectations of a rush of international visitors and an accompanying economic boon — an estimated $3.5 billion in Texas — are being tempered in Houston and Dallas, where 16 games will be played in June and July.
FIFA, the governing body for international soccer, canceled hotel block reservations in Dallas and Arlington earlier this year and a recent survey of hoteliers in Houston and the Dallas area found anticipated demand is not translating into strong hotel bookings less than 40 days from the start of the tournament.
Expensive ticket prices, trouble getting travel visas and anti-American sentiment amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty may all be contributing to the underwhelming demand for stays during the tournament, said Brent DeRaad, president and CEO of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“There certainly are not only economic headwinds but certainly … sentiments toward the U.S. by some countries out there internationally, it’s potentially an issue in terms of people being able and willing to travel to the United States for these matches,” DeRaad said.
While Dallas is considered the host city by FIFA, Arlington’s AT&T Stadium will be the venue for nine matches and Houston’s NRG Stadium will host a further seven. Local officials say ticket sales remain strong and they expect each of the matches to be sold out.
That demand for tickets, however, may be largely domestic, according to a report published Monday by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, a trade association that represents more than 30,000 properties across the U.S. Ticket prices for the matches are significantly more expensive than the 2022 and 2018 iterations of the tournament, played in Qatar and Russia, respectively, pricing out international tourists.
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FIFA points to the economic benefits each city is expected to receive from hosting matches as justification for the costs. A March 2025 study by FIFA claimed the tournament will generate $17.2 billion in gross domestic product in the U.S. and $3.4 billion in government revenue from direct and indirect taxes.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association study found that domestic travelers are outpacing international travelers. The study noted that international travel barriers, like lengthy visa wait times, increased visa fees and uncertainty around entry and processing, are contributing to international travel not meeting expectations. The cancellation of hotel blocks in Dallas, Arlington and other host cities has exposed a “softer underlying traveler demand,” according to the report.
Across the country, about 70% of FIFA’s group blocks have been released, according to the report, which did not provide city-level data.
“Hotels across host markets have spent years preparing for the World Cup, and while there is real excitement, the data points to a more nuanced outlook,” Rosanna Maietta, President & CEO of AHLA, said in a statement.
In Houston, organizers remain optimistic that the city will see a significant increase in visitors from previous years.
“We expect that World Cup will help deliver a better than normal June and early July in the Houston hotel market,” Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First Corporation, wrote in a statement. “Bookings are up year over year and we anticipate they will continue to climb as we get closer to the tournament.”
Houston First Corporation, Houston’s official destination marketing organization, published its own tracker of domestic and international travel tied to the tournament that found booking pace in the city up 17% in June and 14% in July when compared to the same months last year. International air bookings through Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport are up 33% in June but down 5% in July, according to Houston First.
The local host committees in Dallas and Houston also note that low hotel bookings could be offset by short-term rentals.
Short-term rental bookings are up 53% in the Houston area from last year for June and July, according to Houston First.
See here and here for some background. My response to this is mostly a big shrug. The numbers are kind of all over the place, and as we know we should never take economic projections of sporting event impact at face value. It’ll probably be fine, and as long as it’s the event committees that have the financial risk it won’t affect cities directly. It would be nice to be in an environment where tourists wanted to come here and they had no major visa issues, but that very much is not the world we are in. We can hope to have that ameliorated in time for the 2031 Women’s World Cup, whoever gets to host those games.