How Are Hotels Preparing for the 2026 World Cup?

The 2025 Gold Cup concluded earlier this month with Mexico defeating the United States by a score of 2-1. The 2025 Club World Cup also wrapped up last week, with Chelsea pulling off a 3-0 upset win over Paris Saint-Germain. All of which means that the next big international tournament set to take place in the U.S. (along with Canada and Mexico) is the 2026 World Cup.

The World Cup involves packed stadiums, travelers from all over the world visiting the host cities and an atmosphere like no other sporting events on Earth. With next year’s tournament only a year away, it begs the question: how are hotels preparing for a massive influx of guests?

Ryan Meliker and Michelle Li, from the lodging and real estate analytics firm Lodging Analytics Research and Consulting, reckoned with those questions in an article for Hotels. Meliker and Li point out that the 2026 iteration of the competition breaks from tradition in ways beyond the fact that three countries are hosting matches; the tournament’s expanded lineup should lead to even more attendance and more demand for lodging.

Among their conclusions are that some markets will benefit more than others. “[W]e expect the event to drive demand to all host markets, but that demand will not be evenly distributed,” the authors write. “Gateway cities with strong international appeal, such as New York, Miami and Los Angeles, are positioned to see the most meaningful and consistent gains.”

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The authors also addressed the areas of uncertainty surrounding the tournament, especially around the games taking place in the U.S. “Adding to the uncertainty is the current U.S. political climate, which may have a dampening effect on international travel demand,” they write.

They aren’t the only ones concerned about this. At The Washington Post, Ishaan Tharoor pointed to areas of concern about whether some international fans will encounter trouble getting into the U.S. There’s also the possibility that extreme weather could make things harder for athletes competing in the tournament. The World Cup has plenty to offer fans of the sport, but questions remain of how much other factors will affect the competition — and the experience of watching it.