Hotels across North America are dramatically hiking prices for rooms ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to an analysis conducted by The Athletic, the sports journalism department of The New York Times.
The study reveals that room rates in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. — the co-hosts of the global soccer tournament — spiked by an average of more than 300% in early June when 16 host cities will be staging their opening matches.
According to the analysis, room rates at 96 Marriott and Hilton hotels in North America soared after FIFA unveiled the 104-match schedule on Saturday following Friday’s draw.
The average per-night rate around an opening game in each of the 16 host cities rose to US $1,013 — up from US $293 just 21 days earlier, the study revealed. That’s a 328% increase.
The Athletic found that the most significant percentage increase was in Mexico City, where the inaugural match of the tournament pitting Mexico vs. South Africa will take place on June 11 at Estadio Banorte.
The most egregious example is the Marriott resort Le Meridien Mexico City Reforma which has a listing for US $157 per night in late May. That same room will cost US $3,882 the week of the opening match, a 2,372% increase.
Six Mexico City hotels near Estadio Banorte — the site of five matches — have listings that average US $1,572 per night ahead of the opening match. That’s an astonishing 961% increase from rates for mid-May stays that would set you back just US $172, according to the analysis.
The surge in room rates in the two other Mexican host cities was also considerable. Monterrey hotel fares climbed on average by 466% (second-most among the 16 host cities), while Guadalajara saw fees rise by 405% (fourth-most).
As The Athletic noted, it is not unusual for hotel prices to rise around mega events. At the Paris Olympics last year, the French capital saw a year-over-year room rate increase of 141%.
However, The Athletic observed,” the scale of the increases … immediately after the World Cup schedule was confirmed appears to be much more sizable.”
The trade publication Inside World Football also voiced concern, writing that it feels like real fans are being priced out of the World Cup, describing the exorbitant rates as “opportunism.”
The Athletic’s methodology involved identifying the per-night price for a two-night stay around the opening match at six randomly selected hotels in each of the 16 host cities. That price was then compared to the equivalent rates offered exactly three weeks earlier by the same hotels.
Despite the skyrocketing room rates, demand for hotel rooms is undeniable. The Athletic discovered that only three of the 46 hotels listed on the Marriott Bonvoy app were not described as sold out.
With reports from The Athletic, Mediaite and The New York Post
