World Cup semifinals send late travel surge into U.S. host cities

The World Cup’s travel payday for U.S. host cities is showing up late, just as the tournament reaches its most expensive and emotional stretch. For investors watching travel, lodging and local spending, the pattern is a reminder that major sports events can drive revenue unevenly, with the biggest gains tied to who advances and where they play.

France faces Spain in Dallas on Tuesday, while England plays Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday. As those semifinal matchups came into view, travel bookings accelerated, according to data cited by Bank of America Institute, CoStar, AirDNA and RateGain Travel Technologies.

Bank of America Institute said every U.S. World Cup host city has received an economic lift from soccer fans. David Tinsley, senior economist at the institute, said card spending rose after the tournament began, with restaurants and bars among the strongest categories as fans gathered around matches.

In-person spending in U.S. host cities increased 5% from a year earlier between June 10 and July 5, according to Bank of America credit and debit card data. Kansas City posted the strongest gain in that analysis. The bank noted the figures cover only spending on Bank of America cards by U.S. households, which means they exclude cash, checks, international tourist spending and corporate card purchases.

Hotels get a late-stage lift

Hotel data also points to a pickup, though not a uniform sellout. CoStar said Kansas City had the largest weekly hotel performance increase among host markets, with revenue per available room rising nearly 50%. Revenue per available room, or RevPAR, is a hotel industry measure that combines occupancy and room rates to show how much revenue hotels generate from available inventory.

Philadelphia also saw a strong jump. CoStar said weekend RevPAR rose more than 74% as a World Cup match overlapped with Fourth of July events and America 250 celebrations.

The late strength follows earlier concerns among hotel owners about weaker advance bookings and FIFA releasing large blocks of rooms back into the market. CoStar data showed that during the final week of the group stage, occupancy in U.S. host cities fell almost 3% from a year earlier, suggesting some business and leisure travelers changed their plans. Even then, host-city hotels charged rates that were 21% higher, according to CoStar.

Once the knockout stage began, demand from June 28 to July 4 rose 2.4% from last year and RevPAR climbed 23%, CoStar said. That came even though the World Cup had 50% fewer matches than in the previous week.

Argentina fans are booking in real time

AirDNA, which tracks short-term rentals, said demand also rose around higher-stakes matches. Braham Gallagher, AirDNA’s director of economic forecasting, said some fans appeared to wait until they knew which teams would be playing before booking later-round trips.

RateGain founder Bhanu Chopra said Argentina fans are a clear example of that behavior. Chopra, who created the FIFA World Cup 2026 Market Pulse Index, said flight bookings from Argentina have risen nearly 46% year over year since the tournament started.

Bookings from Argentina to Atlanta, where Argentina played a round-of-16 match and will play its semifinal, have climbed nearly 108%, according to Chopra. Overall bookings to World Cup host cities are up nearly 4% from last year, and flight reservations jumped nearly 75% from the previous week after the opening match, according to RateGain data.

The booking pattern also shows caution. Chopra said flights from Argentina to New York/New Jersey, the final’s host area, are still down about 15% year over year. Bookings from Argentina to Miami, which hosts the third-place match, are up nearly 17%. He said that suggests some Argentina fans are keeping options open rather than assuming a place in the final.

Ticket demand remains another variable. After the U.S. and Mexico were eliminated, resale prices for several quarterfinal matches dropped sharply. FIFA still had nearly 1,200 mid-tier final tickets available late last week at $7,380 each, according to the reported ticket inventory.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.