US host cities see empty hotel rooms before World Cup due to high ticket costs

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is almost here and the excitement around the biggest sporting event is high. However, this edition of the World Cup has faced criticisms for its sky-high ticket prices.

Football World Cups are known for being inclusive with affordable ticket prices that allows fans to travel and support their country from the stands. Hotel rooms in host cities are often sold out months in advance but the picture is starkly different this time.

High ticket prices affect travel plans for away fans

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and USA. According to reports, hotel bookings in the US host cities have been lower than expected. This is due to the unusually high ticket prices, expensive travel costs and complicated US VISA issues.

Usually, a city hosting the FIFA World Cup has no free hotel room. However, the unprecedented reality reflects the economic burden the circumstances have put on football fans.

Cities like Vancouver, Boston have reported to have lower demand for hotel rooms on match-days. To add to the problem, FIFA cancelled room bookings that it had blocked, leading to a surge of empty rooms at a time when booking were already lower than expected.

Hotels are still waiting for last-minute bookings. However, given that room prices are expensive during such times, they might have to offer them at discounted prices to increase demand. This will bring down the profit levels that they had expected to bring in during the World Cup.

The new World Cup format

Besides inflated ticket and travel costs, the expanded World Cup format has also meddled with the usual demand. This year, FIFA has introduced 48 teams in the tournament for the first time ever, leading to a more spread out demand. With three countries and 16 host cities, travel and VISA issues are not as easy, and the pocket pinch has been hard on most fans.

For the first time, FIFA introduced dynamic ticket pricing and faced a lot of backlash. This has led to spiked ticket prices and reduced purchases. Fans around the world have protested against FIFA for turning the game of the people into the game of the rich. Even US President Donald Trump feels the prices are so high that he would not buy them.

Additionally, re-sale prices have also been falling. In a statement, TicketData founder Keith Pagello said, "Prices are going down because there’s not enough purchasing going on right now to support the current sky-high prices."

The game of the masses

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest footballing event and half of the magic lies in the stand, where the spectators, all decked up in colours of their countries, cheer on their team with enthusiasm and unending passion.

There can be no football without fans and even though the 2026 tournament will draw large crowds and the stands will be packed, we must remember, who this game really belongs to.

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