This summer, approximately 1.3 million international visitors will descend on the U.S., Mexico and Canada for the FIFA World Cup, staying an average of 12 days and spending close to $7.5 billion.

It will be the biggest World Cup to date, with the tournament expanding from 32 to 48 teams, resulting in an additional 40 matches. FIFA and the World Trade Organization estimate that in the U.S. alone, where 78 of the 104 matches will be played, economic output will exceed $30 billion.

As such, the 78 U.S. World Cup matches represent a massive opportunity, not only for the 11 domestic hosts but for U.S. destinations far and wide, which can expect spillover from the many high-spending international visitors that the matches will attract. Organizers expect that 40% of attendees will be from outside the U.S.

Indeed, all stakeholders in the U.S. tourism industry — hotels, travel advisors, tour operators, attractions, airlines, car rental companies, retailers and restaurants — are positioned to benefit from the stage offered by the world’s most watched sporting event.

But for all the opportunity it offers, the World Cup also presents peril if things go awry. Blowback against the protectionist policies of the Trump administration, including the president’s antagonistic posture toward longtime allies Canada and the NATO alliance countries of Europe, were a primary reason why international inbound travel to the U.S. dropped by 5.7% in 2025, according to U.K.-based advisory firm Oxford Economics.

And as the World Cup approaches, negative sentiment toward the U.S. is also being fueled by new travel-specific policies and proposals, including a spike in visa fees, a $100 charge for foreign visitors to national parks and a Customs and Border Protection proposal that incoming travelers submit five years of social media history.

In other words, the stakes are as high as a late-match penalty kick, both for the U.S. tourism industry and for the economy at large.

“There’s a long history and consistent body of research that shows when international visitors come to the United States, they leave with a better opinion of our country,” said Erik Hansen, head of government relations for the U.S. Travel Association. “That makes them more eager to come back and to do business with the U.S. It’s a tremendous opportunity for international visitors to come here and actually experience the real country, the real America. That is one of the main reasons we are pushing the administration and working with them to get this right.”

Cashing In

FIFA called the demand for World Cup tickets “unprecedented,” having received over 500 million requests for tickets during the 33 days between December and January in which it accepted applications for its ticket-selection draw.

Seat prices are also sky high, with first-round tickets having an average face value of $433 during the December and January application period, according to Sportingpedia, which does sports industry analyses. On resale sites, tickets trend much higher, often costing four figures.

Tour operators, travel agencies and hotels see an opportunity to cater to the high-wealth fans with exclusive events and special packages.

On Location Experiences is the official hospitality partner of FIFA and is selling match packages that offer more than just a ticket, said Alicia Falken, the company’s general manager for the FIFA World Cup 2026 program. She described the packages as “choose your own adventure.” The hospitality company offers up to five different tiers of access, depending on the venue. The Pitchside Lounge, the most expensive offering, includes premium seats along the sidelines, a dedicated guest relations team and special culinary experiences.

On Location prices for a single-match package in the U.S. range from $1,400 to $4,950 per person. Prices go up from there for multiple matches or for “follow-my-team” packages that include tickets for a specific team across all of its matches.

Packages to catch every match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., including the final, are nearly sold out, Falken said, with the remaining options costing up to $69,850 per person.

But such eye-popping prices aren’t turning off fans. Demand is “tremendous,” she said, with reservations pouring in from over 100 countries. Over 50% of purchasers will travel for the matches, she said.

Tour operator Roadtrips, an Internova Travel Group brand, has World Cup packages starting at $3,000 per person, vice president of sales Duane Penner said. Standard packages include tickets, hotel and transfers. The company also has hotel blocks in every World Cup host city.

Penner encouraged travel advisors to get in touch if they’re looking for an assist with soccer fan clients. Commissions range from 10% to 12%.

Given the tournament’s format — a group phase in which each team plays a three-match round robin followed by 32 teams advancing to a single-elimination tournament, known as the knockout stage — those who aren’t set on seeing a particular team should look for tickets in first or second knockout rounds, Penner said. Rabid fans aren’t as likely to buy those tickets early, since they can’t be sure where their team will be playing.

“You know you’ll see two good teams, and you can pick a city that you like,” he said.

Hotels are also hoping to rake in profits while rolling out the red carpet. Room prices have surged, according to a New York Times analysis, which shows host city rates up by more than 300% on match days.

Properties in and around host cities are also offering specials and packages designed to lure soccer fans, including full hotel buyouts.

The Kimpton Palladian Hotel in Seattle is offering a 26-night, $3.5 million buyout of its property, which is within walking distance of the city’s six matches. The buyout includes 97 rooms and full access to the on-site restaurant and bar.

“We wanted to create something truly exceptional for this once-in-a-lifetime moment, something that matches the global scale of the tournament,” said hotel general manager Michael Walzl. “A full hotel buyout gives our guests total privacy, personalized service and the ultimate home base in the heart of Seattle.”

On a much smaller scale, the five-room Gas Lamp Hotel in Philadelphia is offering a group of up to 13 guests a buyout of its property for $25,000 per night. The hotel has six buyout dates during the city’s matches.

Scott Yesner, founder of Gas Lamp operator Bespoke Stay, said the package includes special soccer jerseys, breakfast, transport to the matches and local products.

Bespoke Stay also manages short-term rentals throughout Philadelphia, and Yesner said bookings are looking strong. For properties he described as higher-end and group-oriented, the company has increased rental rates eight to 10 times their normal cost.

Tour companies in host cities can also expect to win during the World Cup.

According to research by Bokun, a Tripadvisor company that provides booking software for tour operators, searches for guided tours in World Cup host cities have been way up since the group stage schedule was unveiled Dec. 6. For example, between Dec. 9 and Jan. 9, search queries for “Dallas sightseeing tours” were up 70% year over year. Queries for “tours in Boston 2026” were up 148%, and searches for “New Jersey walking tour” climbed 62%.

Samuel Jefferies, Bokun’s senior growth marking officer, said that to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the World Cup, tour providers should think comprehensively and design options that cater to the specialized tastes of soccer fans. For example, he suggested multiday tours that include activities such as pub crawls, walking tours geared toward visitors from specific countries and transport to lodging and matches.

“It’s a big, big opportunity, 100%,” Jefferies said. “And not just a one-time event either. If you get travelers now, there might be an opportunity to upsell them for a future trip.”

Pitfalls

But not everyone is seeing strong World Cup demand.

Julio Sanchez, the founder and owner of sports travel specialist Beyond the Castle Travel in Pennsylvania, said he’d had few bookings, though he expected them to pick up this month after lottery results for tickets are announced.

Anbritt Stengele, founder and president of Sports Traveler, a sports travel packager in Chicago, said a short buzz in December has “very dramatically tapered off.” Sales are well below the typical demand her packager sees for the World Cup, she said.

Stengele attributes the drop in interest to two things: cost and the geopolitical climate. She said soccer fans in Germany and the U.K., in particular, are sensitive to the pricey tickets — even though they are typically two groups that travel really well for their teams. And, she said, international visitors in general are wary of traveling to the U.S. due to Trump’s rhetoric.

Typically, she added, inquiries at this point in World Cup preparations would mostly be from international visitors. But that’s the opposite of what Sports Traveler is seeing, with more Americans booking than those abroad.

Stengele also questioned what demand will be like for teams like Senegal and Iran, both of which are on Trump’s travel ban list, meaning nationals from those countries cannot travel to the U.S. for the matches. (Haiti and Cote D’Ivoire are also on the list and in the tournament).

“This is a highly driven international inbound event, always, no matter where it is,” she said. “You don’t put on the World Cup unless you’re willing to be welcoming to the world, straight up, that’s how it has to be.”

Another complication some fans could face are single-entry visas. Some teams are already slated to play in the U.S. and either Mexico or Canada and there are paths in which teams could play in all three nations if they advance far enough. Citizens of the 41 countries in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program won’t encounter problems. But for citizens of countries in which single-entry visas can apply, the State Department isn’t planning special World Cup provisions.

“This is really the first World Cup where you have separate countries, where one visa doesn’t grant you access to the entire competition,” said Tyler Hosford, security director at International SOS, which mitigates risks for travelers and assists them during crises. “When people are applying for their visa, they need to be very aware of what visa they are applying for and cognizant of what that means for their travel.”

World is watching

While the administration is drawing headlines for policies that could discourage visitors, U.S. Travel’s Hansen said several measures have been taken that should benefit World Cup travelers.

Those include the FIFA PASS (Priority Appointment Scheduling System) for visa applicants, which is meant to ensure World Cup ticket holders and accompanying family members will get visa interviews ahead of the tournament. That’s no small item since in many countries visa appointments can take months to obtain, the State Department website shows. More deployments of advanced TSA screening technology, last year’s cessation of the TSA’s shoes-off policy and expansions of digital U.S. entry processing at airports are other ways the administration is facilitating travel ahead of the World Cup.

Beyond that, Hansen said the State Department has increased staffing at foreign consulates in order to implement FIFA Pass. He hopes it will be a model for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and even for prominent annual events such as the massive CES held each January in Las Vegas.

Hosford said the world, and especially the International Olympic Committee, will be watching to see how the logistics of international visitation play out during the World Cup. Unlike the Cup, which has only 48 countries, the Olympics could potentially feature every nation in the world.

U.S. Travel has been critical of several actions the Trump administration has taken that impact travel, including higher visa fees and a proposal that would require foreign visitors to submit social media histories.

But Hansen leaned in on the positives that could come from the World Cup.

“The biggest opportunity for us is to send that welcoming message and to highlight the progress of the Trump administration, and if we do that, we can reach the high end of our goals,” he said.