Donating $1.2M+ across California ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026™

Key Takeaways

• Airbnb announces more than $1.2 million in donations across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Oakland communities through its FIFA World Cup 2026™ Host City Impact Program.
  
  
• Funding will help refurbish local soccer pitches to expand access to soccer for youth across California.
  
  

Airbnb is proud to announce we are donating more than $1.2 million to communities across California through its FIFA World Cup 2026™ Host City Impact Program. The contributions will help expand youth access to soccer by refurbishing local soccer pitches in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Oakland.

The announcement is part of our broader partnership with FIFA to help Host Cities deliver lasting local impact and ensure the benefits of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ extend well beyond the tournament.

Our Host City Impact Program supports cities in building long-term infrastructure and community benefits tied to the FIFA World Cup 2026™. Across California, we are working with local partners to support three community-driven initiatives that strengthen neighborhoods, expand access to outdoor recreation, and create citywide experiences for residents ahead of and during the tournament. These include:

• San Francisco: Airbnb x America SCORES Bay Area
  Funding through America SCORES Bay Area, a nonprofit focused on soccer and poetry for youth development, will help refurbish three mini-pitches in San Francisco at Castro’s Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, Bayview’s Bret Harte Elementary School, and Bayview’s Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School, creating safe, accessible spaces for students and the broader community to play, learn, and engage with the sport.
  
  

• Los Angeles: Airbnb x Tudela FC
  In partnership with Tudela FC, an all-girls soccer club based in Los Angeles, Airbnb’s investment will help create mini-pitches across the city.

• Oakland: Airbnb x Oakland Roots Sports Club
  In partnership with Oakland Roots Sports Club, a community-driven professional soccer club, funding helped revitalize the Lincoln Square Park mini-pitch in Oakland’s Chinatown, support local soccer initiatives and community programming, and create new opportunities for young people to participate in the game.
  
  

“In a few weeks, the World Cup will come to California. We want to give the host communities something that lasts. That’s why we’re donating $1.2 million through our Host City Impact program to build six new soccer fields, including three right here in the Bay Area. Long after the games are over, these fields will belong to the kids who play on them.” -Brian Chesky, Co-founder and CEO, Airbnb

“These new, vibrant green fields are game-changers for our public schools and for the neighborhoods around them. Airbnb is making an investment in our children and in vibrant communities. America SCORES is a proud partner in transforming asphalt school yards into joyful and safe spaces.” -Colin Schmidt, Founder and CEO of America SCORES Bay Area

“We see every day how access to safe, high-quality spaces to play can transform a young person’s confidence, health, and sense of belonging. At the core of sport are life’s greatest lessons—discipline, resilience, teamwork, and perseverance. These mini-pitches will give kids the accessibility to learn all of those lessons, right in their own neighborhoods, helping them grow into stronger, more confident people both on and off the field.” -Jacob Tudela, Founder and Club Director of Tudela FC Los Angeles

“Safe, accessible places to play are foundational to everything we believe in at Oakland Roots and Soul. This investment in Lincoln Square Park is about more than a field—it’s about creating opportunity, belonging, and pride for youth and adults in our community. We’re so proud to partner with Airbnb to help ensure residents in Downtown Oakland have a space to play, grow and dream.” -Andrea Lepore, Senior Vice President of Oakland Roots and Soul

“As San Francisco prepares to help welcome people from across the globe for the World Cup, we want to make sure this tournament delivers lasting benefits for San Franciscans. Airbnb’s investment in San Francisco and communities across California will expand opportunities for our young people and strengthen neighborhoods across our city. Thank you to Airbnb, America SCORES, our school partners, and all of the community leaders celebrating this investment.” -Mayor Daniel Lurie, City and County of San Francisco

In addition to our donations, travel on Airbnb is expected to generate significant economic activity across California during the FIFA World Cup 2026™, supporting local businesses, creating jobs, and helping residents benefit directly from the surge in tourism.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, hosts on Airbnb are expected to welcome more than 12,000 guests, which would in turn generate $143 million in GDP, support nearly 600 jobs through 2026, and deliver approximately $3,000 in supplemental income to local hosts, according to a Deloitte study. These benefits highlight how travel on Airbnb spreads visitor spending to neighborhood shops, restaurants, and small businesses.

And in Los Angeles, hosts are expected to welcome approximately 16,000 guests in and around the city according to Deloitte. That activity is projected to generate $183 million in GDP, support nearly 750 jobs through 2026, and deliver nearly $5,100 in supplemental income to each local host.

The Airbnb Host City Impact Program is a dedicated initiative associated with our partnership with FIFA. It includes $5 million in support for select projects in host cities that foster economic growth and enhance the event experience for residents and visitors. Previous donations have supported new soccer mini-pitches in New York and New Jersey, small businesses in Kansas City, the development of a new Green Corridor in Houston, and Official SeattleFWC26 Fan Zones across Washington.

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2.5 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays, experiences, and services that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.