For the past few months, the general advice regarding the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been the same. “Book now or be prepared to pay big bucks later.”
However, with less than a month until kickoff, the sell-out scenario may not play out as expected.
Despite predictions that the tournament would cause massive hotel shortages and staggering ticket prices across North America, bookings in some host cities have been weaker than expected. Tickets for many matches in host cities such as Boston, San Francisco and Seattle will continue to be available for purchase through FIFA’s official platforms, but resale prices have already begun to decline for some matches..
For flexible travelers, there may be last-minute slots available for both hotels and game tickets.
Marcin Starkowski, PR manager at online travel agency eSky Group, said: “While early predictions often predict extreme price increases and rapid sell-outs, the reality is usually more nuanced and highly dependent on timing, traveler profiles and booking behavior.”
The 2026 tournament, to be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico, was always expected to change the face of summer travel across the continent. With 48 teams, 104 games and millions of visitors expected, cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Mexico City have spent years preparing for a surge in international visitors.
Why demand may be weaker than expected
Economists who study mega-events say demand expectations often build up early.
“First of all, the initial projections were always very optimistic,” says Victor Matheson, an economics professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., who specializes in the economic impact of sports. “Secondly, especially in the World Cup, which has been expanded to 48 teams (from 32 teams the previous year), not every match is Germany vs. Spain, France vs. Norway, Argentina vs. England.”
Instead, Matheson said the expanded format will create matchups that are less in demand and have far lower profile. “There will be a lot of Algeria vs. Austria matches, but they will have a more limited appeal and are unlikely to attract tens of thousands of domestic and international tourists,” he says.
An April survey by the American Hotel and Lodging Association found that many hotels in U.S. host cities reported lower-than-expected booking levels ahead of the tournament. Analysts say some of that softness reflects changing traveler behavior. According to the report, 70% of responding hotels in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle reported that booking rates were lower than expected, and more than 60% said the same in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York.
“Many travelers are no longer rushing to lock in all elements of their trip at once,” Starkowski says. “Instead, they are waiting for ticket confirmation and a clear outlook on the match schedule before finalizing their accommodation and flights.”
This wait-and-see approach may be especially important because World Cup tickets won’t go on sale all at once. FIFA said it plans to continue publishing the inventory throughout the tournament, including near individual match days. Returned hospitality allocations, sponsor inventory, and official resale tickets may all be re-entered the market over time.
Resale experts say prices are already fluctuating.
“Ticket prices have fallen significantly over the past 30 days, averaging more than 20% for all group stage games,” said Keith Pagero, founder of TicketData and US ticket resale expert. “That said, prices are still very high. Over the past week or so, the decline has plateaued, at least for now.”
Pajero said one of the biggest remaining variables is the amount of ticket inventory that FIFA has yet to release. “Of all the factors, this will have the biggest impact on whether prices go up or down as we go into the final weeks before the game,” he says.
High-profile games such as the knockout rounds and U.S. men’s national team games are still expected to command high prices, but analysts say group stage games and games in smaller host cities such as Kansas City and Boston could become increasingly available as kickoff approaches.
“As long as fans aren’t picky about the event, it’s possible (to get tickets),” Matheson said. “You can’t expect to get cheap tickets for France vs. Norway, featuring Kylian Mbappé vs. Erling Haaland, perhaps two of the best players on the planet. But tickets for Austria vs. Algeria or Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Uzbekistan are likely to be affordable.”
What travelers should book now and what they should wait for
Meanwhile, airline tickets remain one of the biggest wildcard expenses. Cash airfares are up 20.7% year-over-year as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Consumer Price Index report.
Current average round-trip economy fares from within the United States to some major host cities remain high, but not necessarily extreme by summer peak standards, according to airfare monitoring platform Going. Recent searches showed that average fares for a four- to five-day itinerary before or after a major game were about $350 to airports around New York City and about $400 to Los Angeles and Mexico City, but prices varied widely depending on airport choice and travel dates.
But award tickets booked with points aren’t growing at the same pace, which could be particularly beneficial to travelers, said Jimmy Yun, head of points intelligence at point.me, an award search and loyalty travel platform.
“If you’re looking to book an award ticket, with partner airlines that use fixed redemption rates, the price is ‘set’ based on the distance of your flight and the region you’re traveling to,” Yun says. “This completely insulates the points from cash fare inflation.”
Yun says this dynamic creates an unusually strong redemption opportunity for travelers looking to attend games. “If you’re considering traveling to another city to watch a World Cup game, now is a great time to take advantage of your points,” he says, noting that travelers can often find much better value by transferring points to airline loyalty programs than by booking flights directly through credit card portals.
He cited the example of a ticket that would allow a traveler to fly from New York to Los Angeles for the June 12 U.S.-Paraguay game in first class for 22,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles each way, or more than $1,200 in cash.
In the end, it may be hotels that are under more financial pressure. Late June to early July is the peak of the summer travel season, and the tournament coincides with celebrations surrounding the United States’ 250th anniversary. Gowing estimates that hotel room rates, which normally cost about $200 a night, could easily exceed $600 per night in some host cities during the tournament.
But more and more travelers don’t even need stadium tickets to justify their trip.
“Another important factor shaping demand is that the World Cup experience extends far beyond the stages,” Starkowski said. “Fan zones, public screenings, city festivals and informal viewing parties throughout the host city are becoming key parts of the attraction.”
For travelers who think they’ve already missed out on attending a game, Matheson has simple advice: “Always check ticket resale sites. There’s no reason to believe that all games won’t continue to be available at affordable prices.”