FIFA World Cup 2026™ travel trends, revealed

Key Takeaways

• Guests from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada are driving the most searches for stays during the match dates.
  
  
• Families and groups account for more than half of World Cup trips, to date.
  
  
• Across host cities, a significant percentage of available listings are priced under $500 per night, and early guest booking trends reflect the preference for affordable listings under this price point as well.
  
  

As excitement for FIFA World Cup 2026™ builds, travel planning is already in full swing—with demand surging for early matches featuring legendary matchups and underdog face-offs. Airbnb is sharing insights into World Cup travel patterns from guest demographics, to the emergence of ‘gateway’ travel, where fans seize the opportunity to explore beyond match venues and discover hidden gems across the host countries.

Overall, guests from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada are driving the most searches for stays surrounding the match dates¹. Below are some of the matches that have driven the most demand for stays on Airbnb, as well as the countries driving the most searches for trips during the tournament:

The most in-demand World Cup matches based on searches for Airbnb stays² The top countries searching for World Cup travel³
Haiti vs. Scotland on June 13 in Boston, MA United States
Brazil vs. Morocco on June 13 in East Rutherford, NJ United Kingdom
Mexico vs. South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City, Mexic Canada
France vs. Senegal on June 16 in East Rutherford, NJ Mexico
Group H Winner vs. Group J runner-up (Round of 32) on July 2 in Los Angeles, CA France
Ecuador vs. Germany on June 25 in East Rutherford, NJ Germany
Norway vs. Senegal on June 22 in East Rutherford, NJ Brazil
USA vs. Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles, CA Colombia
USA vs. Australia on June 19 in Seattle, WA Australia
Uruguay vs. Cape Verde on June 21 in Miami, FL Argentina

Our data reveals that the World Cup is drawing families and groups from around the world to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In fact, families and groups account for more than half of World Cup trips, to date⁴.

• Among families booking for the World Cup, Los Angeles is the most popular host city they are traveling to, with San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Miami, and Kansas City also seeing high demand⁵.
• Two-night stays are most common among this group, representing nearly 30% of bookings, followed by four-to-five-night stays (over 20%)⁶.
• The largest number of family bookings are coming from travelers based in Chicago, Arlington, VA, and Los Angeles, showing strong interest from major US cities⁷.
• Many families are choosing larger, more affordable homes, with approximately 75% of family bookings being for two-and three-bedroom listings⁸.
  
  

The tournament is proving especially popular with younger travelers. A closer look at their travel patterns reveals a strong interest from international Gen Z guests, and a preference to experience the World Cup together in groups:

• Gen Z guests account for more than 15% of bookings, with nearly half traveling in groups, reflecting the social nature of World Cup travel⁹.
• Los Angeles, Miami, and New York rank highest among Gen Z travelers, of which over 40% have booked trips lasting three-to-five nights¹⁰.
• International interest is also notable, with London and Glasgow emerging as leading origin cities for Gen Z guests, followed by Tokyo and Los Angeles¹¹.

Many travelers are using the World Cup tournament as a launching pad for further travel in host countries, especially those coming from farther afield. In fact, non-US travelers visiting during the World Cup account for 70 percent of gateway travel resulting from the tournament¹², and are driving other interesting trends:

• Non-US guests are visiting more destinations during their World Cup trips than US guests, and are also staying an average of three nights longer¹³.
  
  
• Latin and South American travelers are staying longer, 16 nights, on average, followed by travelers from Europe (14 nights), Asia Pacific (13 nights) and the US and Canada (10 nights)¹⁴.
  
  
• Travelers from Argentina are taking the longest trips of any country, while travelers from Germany are visiting the most destinations of any country, during their trips¹⁵.
  
  

As an Official FIFA World Cup 2026™ Supporter, Airbnb is helping host city residents earn additional income by listing their space during the World Cup. The beauty of Airbnb is the diversity of affordable options and value that our hosts provide.

Across host cities, a significant percentage of available listings are priced under $500 per night, and early guest booking trends reflect the preference for affordable listings under this price point as well¹⁶. We’re also seeing that a large share of available two-or-more bedroom listings are less than $500/night¹⁷. These stays offer more space and better value for fans and families who want to stay together.

To inspire trip planning, we have identified some Guest Favorite stays within easy reach of the official stadiums and under $500 per night¹⁸—from family-friendly spacious stays, to design-forward city lofts, to relaxing private retreats—offering a first look at where travelers want to stay during one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

These unique homes reflect travelers’ rising demand for local experiences while seeing their favorite teams play on the world stage. According to a recent Deloitte study¹⁹, Airbnb guests are projected to generate $3.6 billion for host city economies during the tournament, underscoring the positive impact of home sharing for communities.

¹Based on Airbnb internal data of searches made for trips taking place in World Cup host cities around specific match dates during June 11 – July 19, 2026, compared to June 11 – July 19, 2025.

²Based on Airbnb internal data of searches made for specific match dates and cities during the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament, from June 11 – July 19, 2026.

³Based on Airbnb internal data of guest origin countries with the highest number of searches for FIFA World Cup 2026 match dates and host cities.

⁴Based on Airbnb internal data of the percentage of bookings made by groups of more than three guests, and by groups with at least one adult and one child for trips in host cities during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

⁵Based on Airbnb internal data of the top booked host cities by families during the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament, from June 11 – July 19, 2026.

⁶Based on Airbnb internal data of family trip lengths in host cities during the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament, from June 11 – July 19, 2026.

⁷Based on Airbnb internal data of bookings made by families for guest origin cities during the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament, from June 11 – July 19, 2026.

⁸Based on Airbnb internal data based on analysis of family bookings by number of bedrooms in host cities during the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament, from June 11 – July 19, 2026.

⁹Based on Airbnb internal data on share of bookings made by Gen Z guests for FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities during the tournament, from June 11 – July 19, 2026.

¹⁰Based on Airbnb internal data analysis of Gen Z guest bookings for the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament from June 11 – July 19, 2026, including top destination cities and trip duration.

¹¹Based on Airbnb internal data of bookings made by Gen Z guests for the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament (June 11 – July 19, 2026), analyzing top guest origin cities.

¹²Based on Airbnb internal data of non-US guests traveling to one or more destinations following a stay taking place during a FIFA World Cup 2026 match date, as well as average trip lengths for non-US guests visiting World Cup host cities during the tournament (June 11 – July 19, 2026).

¹³Based on Airbnb internal data of non-US guests traveling to one or more destinations following a stay taking place during a FIFA World Cup 2026 match date, as well as average trip lengths for non-US guests visiting World Cup host cities during the tournament (June 11 – July 19, 2026).

¹⁴Based on Airbnb internal data of non-US guests traveling to one or more destinations following a stay taking place during a FIFA World Cup 2026 match date, as well as average trip lengths for non-US guests visiting World Cup host cities during the tournament (June 11 – July 19, 2026).

¹⁵Based on Airbnb internal data of non-US guests traveling to one or more destinations following a stay taking place during a FIFA World Cup 2026 match date, as well as average trip lengths for non-US guests visiting World Cup host cities during the tournament (June 11 – July 19, 2026).

¹⁶Based on Airbnb internal data analysis of active listing prices and booking trends for the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament (June 11 – July 19, 2026).

¹⁷Based on Airbnb internal data of the availability of listings with two or more bedrooms priced under $500 per night for the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament (June 11 – July 19, 2026), as of January 16, 2026.

¹⁸Based on Airbnb internal data of active listing prices for the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament (June 11 – July 19, 2026), as of January 16, 2026. Listing prices are set by hosts and are subject to change.

¹⁹Based on data from a Deloitte Study commissioned by Airbnb.