The 1994 World Cup, hosted by the United States, ranks first in overall attendance and average match attendance in World Cup history. The final match drew 94,194 fans at the Rose Bowl. More than a billion people watched the game on TV worldwide.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) had taken a huge gamble holding its premier event in the United States. Soccer was a niche sport, less popular than golf in the U.S., and unless American fans showed up, the event would be a bust.
FIFA needn’t have worried. America, a nation of immigrants, proved itself many times over by embracing the international aspect of the sport, rooting for its ancestral homelands. It helped that the U.S. team made it to the Quarterfinals, thanks to a lucky draw in the preliminary rounds and some stellar play against Colombia in the round of 16.
So, giving the U.S. the hosting duties again seemed a no-brainer. The U.S., Mexico, and Canada won the right to host the 2026 tournament back in 2018, and FIFA officials could hear the cha-ching of cash registers in their sleep.
But greed is a cruel master. FIFA, host cities, and the hospitality industry all tried to milk far too much money from the tournament. It now looks like the World Cup will fall far short of revenue expectations generated when the tournament was awarded to the U.S. in 2018.
A hotel room in Boston for the World Cup, which begins on June 16, costs $300 on average, about 40% more than usual. It’s the same in the 10 other U.S. cities hosting one or more of the matches. Only the most well-heeled customers can afford a room at those rates. That’s why Airbnb is doing record business.
“Airbnb says the World Cup is on course to be the ‘biggest hosting event in Airbnb’s history,’ overtaking the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris,” according to BBC Sports.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) says that it’s all FIFA’s fault.
A report, external produced by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has found that bookings are well below expectations in almost every host city.
The AHLA said this does not align with Fifa’s statement that more than five million tickets have been sold,, external and it creates a risk that “the anticipated economic lift may fall short”.
The AHLA is the largest hotel association in the US, representing more than 32,000 properties and over 80% of all franchised hotels.
Its report partially puts the blame at the door of Fifa, accusing world football’s governing body of block-booking far too many rooms for its own use and creating false demand.
This, the AHLA said, led to artificially high pricing which, after Fifa cancelled a large number of rooms, has been replaced by a vacuum of availability.
Fifa said it does not recognise this accusation.
That’s rich. They don’t recognize the fact that they have been cancelling 70% of the rooms they reserved in host cities because the massively expensive match tickets make it impossible for all but the most rabid soccer fans to afford them.
Group Stage matches range from $100 to $575, while Group Stage (Host Nation / High Demand) matches range from $400 to $2,735 for premium seats (e.g., opening matches or U.S./Mexico/Canada matches).
For the Knockout Rounds, prices scale up with each tier. Round of 16 tickets go for $220 to $890, while Quarterfinals start around $410 and push up to $1,690.
This is before the scalpers, StubHub, TicketMaster, and other resellers take their cut. The average price for the cheapest available resale seats across all U.S. group stage matches sits right around $550. High-profile matches are averaging much higher secondary payouts. For instance, according to data from SeatGeek, Colombia vs. Portugal in Miami averages $1,971, while the U.S. Men’s Team vs. Paraguay opener in Los Angeles sits at an average resale price of $1,902.
“A study commissioned by FIFA,, external released last year, predicted that in the US the World Cup could create 185,000 jobs, adding $17.2 billion in gross domestic product,” says BBC Sports. That was always propaganda, but given the shortfall of international tourists, it looks like FIFA was trying to sell us some snake oil.
The AHLA said the large-scale bookings made by Fifa in all cities “shaped revenue forecasts, staffing plans and preparations”.
It said this booking policy “manufactured artificial demand” and masked the fact that tourist flow is going to be lower than predicted.
Up to 70% of rooms reserved by Fifa in Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Seattle have been cancelled, the AHLA said.
In a statement Fifa rejected the AHLA’s claims and said it had followed agreements made with hotel chains.
“All room releases were conducted in line with contractually agreed timelines with hotel partners – a standard practice for an event of this scale,” a Fifa spokesperson said.
“In many cases, room releases were made ahead of established deadlines to further accommodate requests from hotels.
Unlike 1994, FIFA doesn’t have to worry about “selling” soccer in the U.S. Soccer is an established sport here, with both men’s and women’s professional leagues with big TV contracts, and intense interest in European club leagues like the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga drawing huge numbers for NBC-Peacock, ESPN, Paramount, Fubo, and Hulu.
Unfortunately, all the stakeholders who stood to benefit from the once-in-a-generation event of having the World Cup on U.S. soil not only plucked the golden goose but cooked it as well.
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