The economic development of the World Cup comes later than expected as the tournament enters its final days.
But for US businesses hoping for a boom in football, of course better late than never.
This week’s semi-finals pit France against Spain in Dallas on Tuesday and England face Argentina in Atlanta. Wednesday. Travel bookings are expedited as the field of competitors narrows and fans gather from around the world to witness the high-level matches.
Every home city in the US has seen economic growth in soccer fans, according to the Bank of America Institute.
“You can see the impact of the World Cup on the ground,” said David Tinsley, senior economist at the Bank of America Institute. “Funds collected after the tournament began, restaurants and bars saw strong returns as consumers turned the games into community events.”
Personal spending in US host cities rose 5% from last year from June 10 to July 5, with Kansas City leading the gains, according to an analysis from Bank of America credit and debit cards.
Argentina fans eat at Joe’s Kansas City BAR-B-QUE restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, United States on June 14, 2026, before the 2026 World Cup soccer match between Argentina and Algeria.
Juan Mabromata AFP | Getty Images
The impact could be much higher, as the results only take into account spending on BofA cards in US households and do not include cash, checks and spending by international visitors or corporate cards.
Kansas City also saw the biggest weekly hotel operating gain among host markets, with revenue per available room (RevPAR) up nearly 50%, according to data from industry analytics firm CoStar. Philadelphia also saw strong growth, with weekend RevPAR up more than 74% as its World Cup game coincided with Fourth of July celebrations and America’s 250 events.
That was a relief to hoteliers who were worried before the start of the World Cup about booking hotels in advance and FIFA releasing large rooms back into the market.
Fans react during a viewing party for the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16 match between France and Paraguay at the Lion Sports Bar on July 4, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Joe Lambert | Getty Images
It is not that the hotels are sold out. In the final week of the tournament’s group stage, occupancy was down about 3% from last year in participating cities in the US, indicating that some business and leisure travelers have changed their plans. But even in the early stages of the disease World Cup, host city hotels charge 21% higher rates, according to CoStar.
As the tournament moves into the knockout stages, demand from June 28 to July 4 is up 2.4% from last year and RevPaR is up 23%, despite the World Cup having 50% fewer games than the previous week.
Demand for short-term rentals has also increased alongside high-profile games, according to statistics firm AirDNA.
“I think in some of the recent stage shows, people are waiting until they know who’s going to play,” said Braham Gallagher, AirDNA’s director of economic forecasting.
“Argentina shows what it looks like when fans book travel when their team wins,” said Bhanu Chopra, founder of RateGain Travel Technologies and founder of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Market Pulse Index. “Argentinean fans follow the tournament closely and respond with bookings in real time.”
Chopra said flight bookings from Argentina have increased by about 46% year-on-year since the tournament began. Bookings from Argentina to Atlanta – where the team played their round of 16 match and will play their semi-final on Wednesday – doubled in that period, increasing by almost 108%.
Overall bookings for World Cup host cities are up nearly 4% from last year, according to the data. After in the opening game, flight bookings jumped nearly 75% from last week.
Bookings for flights to New York/New Jersey for the finals from Argentina are still lagging, down about 15% year-on-year, while bookings from Argentina to Miami – to host the third-place game – are up about 17%.
Chopra said that suggests that some Argentina fans are hesitating rather than thinking that their team will reach the final. If Argentina beat England, expect New York’s bookings to skyrocket.
Fans who book now are ready to use, on international flights at the last minute, a small hotel or AirBnB hired and food to celebrate their parties. And don’t forget the game tickets!
After the elimination of the US and Mexico, the resale prices of several quarterfinal games dropped significantly. Still, FIFA still had around 1,200 Mid-range tickets were last sold late last week, going for $7,380 each.
