by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:45 AM ET, Thu June 11, 2026
As the FIFA World Cup kicks off today, June 11, the travel industry across the United States is still waiting to see the promised economic boost the major global event was promised to bring to its host cities.
According to Reuters, high ticket and travel costs, along with less-friendly entry policies, are the major reasons the global event might not be the boon to the industry that everyone expected. Dynamic pricing for World Cup matches has led to record-high ticket prices, with some reaching $1,000 for the cheapest options in places like New York.
This isn't the first warning sign for the event: a study conducted by Upgraded Points back in April found that 59% of soccer fans interested in attending the World Cup were too worried about safety issues within the United States to actually attend, with 66% of respondents noting that recent immigration events and issues within the country have made them more concerned about visiting the U.S.
Additionally, 51% of international travelers reported high travel costs, with airfare increasing by over 20% due to the war in the Middle East, another major factor in World Cup hesitancy.
Beyond anxiety for international visitors who are afraid to be denied entry or worried about high travel costs, there's also Global Guardian's new report that found this World Cup poses "unprecedented security risks," largely due to the global climate, the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and general crime risks throughout the host cities.
This fear hit the hotel sector in a big way: the American Hotel & Lodging Association's Hotel Outlook report on the World Cup said the majority of hoteliers in nearly all of the eleven host cities in the U.S. were experiencing bookings below average, and American travelers aren't fans enough to fill the gap in demand.
It is "overall a disappointment," Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, told Reuters. "There's no other word that I can say."
In New York alone, the association's forecast for hotel room revenue had to be cut by 60% to around $60 million, with Dandapani only expecting half a million of the city's projected 1.2 million fans, and New York is the host city to the final match that will crown FIFA's 2026 champion.
Flight data from Cirium shows flights from Europe into New York for the July 19 final have dropped 15.8% year-over-year, despite the global event, with bookings into most host cities from Europe dropping 3.8% in June and July compared to 2025.
Even as the Trump Administration touts the event as one of the biggest "in history," and says the nation will show a "golden age of travel," international visitors have never faced more hurdles when trying to enter the country.
Over half of the qualified countries for the World Cup require visas, and some World Cup staff have faced hours-long questioning and have even been denied entry, including a Somali referee.
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