With the next phase of 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket sales set to begin Thursday, the event’s 11 U.S host cities are preparing for a massive influx of visitors. Whether it’s Atlanta, Los Angeles or New York/New Jersey, they aren’t only preparing to host soccer’s best teams but travelers from all over the world as well.
“It’s the greatest event that humanity, that mankind has ever seen and will ever see,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Friday during the World Cup draw that grouped qualifying teams and determined matchups for the opening rounds.
Fans from 212 countries and territories have already purchased 2 million tickets, according to FIFA, which reported in November that residents of the three host countries (the United States, Canada and Mexico) drove the most purchases, followed by fans in England, Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Argentina and France.
The “Random Selection Draw” — a lottery system that allows fans to apply for specific matches — opens at 11 a.m. EST Thursday and will run through Jan. 13.
FIFA expects 6.5 million total attendees, as 48 teams participate in 104 matches over the span of about five weeks. The games will take place from June 11 through July 19 in 16 host cities, including Toronto and Vancouver, Canada; Guadalajara, Monterrey City and Mexico City, Mexico; and Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco in the U.S.
The United States alone is expected to receive a $17.2 billion gross domestic product boost and create 185,000 jobs from the World Cup, according to FIFA.
“The 2026 FIFA World Cup represents a high-impact opportunity for North American host cities,” the independent global research firm Oxford Economics wrote in a statement accompanying its recent economic projections for the global sporting event.
Hotel room revenues related to the World Cup are expected to increase anywhere from 7% to 25% in June 2026, with the largest increases expected around match days, Oxford Economics predicts. It said later rounds tend to supercharge hotel costs, as they did in Germany in 2006, when average daily rates spiked 46.9% for the final match of the World Cup.
The New York area, which is hosting eight World Cup matches at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is likely to see the greatest boost in hotel performance due in part to its stadium capacity, location, status as an international tourist destination and weekend match schedule, according to Oxford Economics.
Kansas City and Los Angeles also rank high on Oxford Economics’ list, with Atlanta and Dallas rounding out the top five U.S. host cities expected to reap the largest gains in hotel performance.
Airbnb hosts during the FIFA World Cup are expected to generate over $2.6 billion in revenue in the 16 U.S. host cities, the company told Spectrum News. While Airbnb guests are expected to spend about $865 million in each host city, the average host is projected to earn about $4,000 during the World Cup.
Among U.S. host cities, the Dallas area will hold the most World Cup games, including a highly anticipated rematch of 2018 World Cup semifinalists England and Croatia on June 17 and a semifinal on July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Airbnb estimates its guests will generate $502 million in GDP in the Dallas area during the tournament.
Visit Dallas expects 3.8 million visitors during next summer’s matches and an estimated impact of $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion, the agency told Spectrum News.
Kansas City, which will host six matches, including a June 16 showdown between Argentina and Algeria, is expecting 650,000 visitors and a $653 million economic impact, according to Visit Kansas City.
“We’re excited to welcome the world, including fans from Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Curacao, Ecuador, the Netherlands and Tunisia — when global soccer comes to Kansas City,” Visit Kansas City spokesperson Makenzie Wolters told Spectrum News.
Los Angeles, which is hosting the U.S. opening match June 12 between the United States and Paraguay among eight matches overall, is expecting to attract 179,000 out-of-town visitors who spend an average of $2,350 per person, according to a projection from the economic forecasting firm Micronomics.
About half of the spending will be on hotels. The rest will go toward restaurants, ground transportation, entertainment, real estate, retail and personal care services, the firm said.
“We project the FIFA World Cup 2026 will reap economic benefits far beyond any event held in recent years in Los Angeles,” including the 2022 Super Bowl held at the same stadium — SoFi — according to the projection.
The economists expect spending to exceed $594 million — topping the $477 million generated by the Super Bowl. Micronomics attributed the larger impacts to the longer duration of the World Cup and an increase in international visitors who spend at higher levels.
“Los Angeles remains a destination venue arguably without equal in this country,” Micronomics Managing Director Roy Weinstein told Spectrum News, citing the LA Dodgers’ World Series win this year. “Sports are a great unifier.”
