ARLINGTON, Virginia—The not too long ago revised U.S. lodge forecast from CoStar and Tourism Economics projected a 1.7 p.c enhance in income per obtainable room (RevPAR) throughout the World Cup months of June and July. Whereas the anticipated elevate was modest, it might characterize a significant contribution to general trade development in 2026.
Total, for 2026, the trade is forecast to extend RevPAR by 0.6 p.c, after a 0.3 p.c decline in 2025. With out that World Cup-driven acquire, RevPAR development could be 40 foundation factors decrease at 0.2 p.c.
Over the last U.S. World Cup in 1994, RevPAR for June and July rose 6.9 p.c, largely on a 5.0 p.c enhance in common every day fee. The highest-line development round this yr’s World Cup will likely be nearly fully on a 1.6 p.c elevate in ADR.
“Our forecast is tempered because of the uncertainty surrounding worldwide inbound journey, which fell in 2025 because of coverage and notion modifications,” stated Isaac Collazo, STR’s senior director, analytics. “Nonetheless, a 1.7 enhance could be noticeably higher than the months earlier than (down 0.4 p.c) and after (up 1.0 p.c) the World Cup.”
Key Cities Impacted by World Cup
Ten of the 11 U.S. host cities for the World Cup are included in STR’s High 25 Markets, underscoring the occasion’s focus within the nation’s largest lodge markets. On common, these host markets are anticipated to see a RevPAR acquire of three.8 p.c for the yr and 12.7 p.c in June/July. For comparability, in 1994, host cities collectively noticed June/July RevPAR rise 11.9 p.c. With out the World Cup, 2026 host markets could be forecast for simply 2.0 p.c development in RevPAR.
“Whereas there may be upside for the host markets, the impression to the full U.S. common is negligible because of the underlying weak spot anticipated elsewhere,” Collazo stated.
Ahead-booking information reveals an uptick in occupancy on the books starting on the day of the primary U.S. match (June 12, 2026) and remaining elevated via July 4. After the vacation, occupancy ranges revert to the softer tempo noticed within the days main as much as the event’s begin.
