Red Card: NYC Hotels Said World Cup Boom Never Materialized
CoStar data suggest the tournament boosted room prices more than bookings, with projected hotel revenue now far below the initial rosy forecasts that an influx of tourists for the FIFA World Cup would yield a booming hotel marketplace.
| 15 Jul 2026 | 04:55
The Hospital Association of New York City used FIFA estimates to predict a $300 million increase in room revenue this summer, but with the World Cup coming to a close, numbers have only reached about half that level. (
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NYC hotels filled up on big match days during the 2026 World Cup, but data indicates that a broader economic boom driven by the tournament didn’t materialize the way many predicted.
When FIFA estimated 1.2 million World Cup fans would arrive in the New York metropolitan area this summer, many expected NYC accomodations to be packed. Yet, as Didio Pequeno, Director of Hospitality Market Analytics at CoStar Group pointed out, the tournament appears to be a “rate event” for the city rather than an “occupancy event.”
According to data from CoStar, a global provider of real estate data, analytics and news, occupancy increased by 3% year-over-year for the first match hosted in the New York metropolitan area (Brazil v. Morocco on June 13); occupancy rates for the next five games, however, represented a slight decline from the year before.
At the same time, average daily rate (ADR), a key measure of hotel performance, increased year-over-year by an average of almost 30% on match days held at MetLife Stadium (which was renamed NYNJ Stadium for the tournament). Revenue available per room (RevPAR), another key metric, also increased by almost 30% on average for match days.
“CoStar initially forecast that World Cup host cities would grow RevPAR by an average of roughly 13% during the tournament, and New York has surpassed that mark, with RevPAR growth north of 20%,” Pequeno said.
Despite data indicating that New York hotels are charging higher rates this summer, President & CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC), Vijay Dandapani, said that won’t necessarily translate into the $300 million increase in room revenue they predicted based on the FIFA predictions
“Those room revenue calculations were “based on ‘rate compression’ typical of high traffic events like Marathon, USTA Tennis in August/September (last year had 1.3 million visitors) and the UNGA [United Nations General Assembly],” Dandapani said.
When Straus News talked to the hotel experts in the week leading into the July 19 championship, projections were that the tournament was now on track to generate only between $100 million and $150 million—half of the pre-season estimates. And while last-minute booking reports have suggested an uptick, Dandapani said that those alone won’t bring revenue up to original projections.
The hotel industry marks a stark contrast from the bar and restaurant industry, with spots reporting an increases in business up to 30%.
It will take time for CoStar and HANYC to collect data that comprises the entire World Cup, including the final match. All three host nations—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—have been eliminated from the tourunament, which contributed to lower demand on the home front.