Hotel room rates skyrocket ahead of 2026 World Cup
Across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, room rates have exploded as hoteliers and Airbnb ready themselves for the largest gouge of all time.
Hotel room rates skyrocket ahead of 2026 World Cup
If anyone still clings to the fantasy that the 2026 World Cup will be a festival for the everyday fan, hotel prices are rising faster than an Apollo rocket on the launch pad.
Across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, room rates have exploded as hoteliers and Airbnb ready themselves for the largest gouge of all time.
According to the Athletic’s analysis, room rates have average increases of more than 300 percent around opening matches.
Mexico City sits at 7,350 feet above sea level, and the thin altitude has obviously distorted thinking as a normal $157 room in late May suddenly becomes a $3,882-a-night luxury item once Mexico opens up the tournament. That’s a 2,373 percent leap.
Across six hotels near the Azteca Stadium, the average per-night rate jumps from $172 to $1,572. That’s 961 percent for the privilege of being in the same city as a football match.
Not surprisingly, the United States isn’t far behind. Houston’s hotel prices jump 837 percent for Germany’s opener. In Boston, Scotland fans will see the Moxy Downtown Hotel go from $492 to more than $3,000 per night.
How about the affordable, Mid-West of Kansas City? Get ready Dorothy, because this isn’t Kansas anymore…One hotel climbs from $154 to $943 for Lionel Messi’s arrival as the holders, Argentina visit. The West Coast isn’t spared either, with Los Angeles averaging a 211 percent rise and Seattle pushing as high as 468 percent.
We all know major events drive major demand. But this time it doesn’t feel like demand but opportunism, with a laminated welcome packet leading to many football groups lamenting the fact that real fans are being priced out of their own World Cup.
The tournament has always been expensive, but 2026 is shaping up to be something different. When a 3-star Fairfield Inn in New Jersey jumps to more than $3,000 a night for the final, you’re not building atmosphere. For comparison, that $3K will get you a night at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, the world’s only 7-star hotel in Dubai.