Now
51°
Fri
64°
Sat
69°
by KOMO News Staff
SEATTLE — Seattle is among several U.S. host cities where hotel bookings are falling short of expectations just weeks before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to a new industry report.
Despite more than 5 million tickets sold, demand has yet to translate into strong hotel occupancy, the American Hotel & Lodging Association said in its April 2026 outlook.
RELATED | Seattle leaders eye FIFA World Cup boost after tourism decline in 2025
In Seattle and other markets, including Boston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, nearly 80% of hotel operators report bookings below expectations – in some cases, trailing the typical summer demand.
Seattle hoteliers are gearing up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but some indicate bookings are not yet matching the early hype.
“We are so excited, it’s the World Cup after all, come on, the whole world will be here in Seattle,” said Jay Baty.
Maybe not the whole world…
“Initially, when it came in, we thought it would be this huge lift for the whole month, but now that is coming around the corner, it’s more peaks and valleys,” said Baty.
Baty is the sales and marketing director at the Inn at the Market, a 40-year-old hotel in Pike Place Market with a view deck overlooking the market and Elliott Bay. “We are in the heart of Pike Place Market, no one has that but us!” he said.
Many describe the tournament’s impact so far as limited, citing weak international travel and late cancellations of previously reserved room blocks.
The report states that visa delays, geopolitical concerns, and rising travel costs are discouraging international visitors, who are typically key to tourism-driven revenue.
Seattle’s outlook reflects those challenges. The city is expected to draw significant crowds for World Cup matches, up to nearly a million visitors by some estimates, but hotels are contending with slower-than-anticipated bookings and an uncertain mix of domestic versus international travelers.
Several self-described sports fans KOMO News spoke with near Pike Place Market said the report did not surprise them.
“If i could afford to go it sounds like a great time, but knowing Seattle and knowing what sports tickets go for there is no way I’m going to be able to ever afford that without taking out a loan,” said Emily, a University of Washington communications major.
Nichole and Becky, who described themselves as diehard sports fans, especially women’s sports, also pointed to costs.
“Everything is pretty much so expensive to have a luxury to go to a game and spend thousands of dollars on a game rather than thousands of dollars on your personal needs,” Nichole said.
Baty said hotels may need to adjust. “Every hotelier in the city is feeling the crunch now so it’s time for everyone to dig into their rates to incentives people to stay with them,” he said.
“That surprises me, I don’t understand that, it’s the World Cup,” Becky said. “I would hope there is a last-minute movement and that stuff gets filled.”
Despite more than 5 million tickets sold, demand for hotel bookings remains far from pitch perfect, but Visit Seattle tells KOMO News there’s time.
Visit Seattle has been preparing the city for the World Cup with a focus on visitor attraction, brand identity and regional hospitality, did not directly address the report’s findings but said major tournaments often see late booking surges.
Previously, Visit Seattle, the city's official tourism source, published an economic impact study that estimated a total economic benefit of more than $920 million from hosting the tournament in 2026.
RELATED | An inside look at the emergency operations center for World Cup match days in Seattle
In an email, a Visit Seattle spokesperson wrote: “…Per Expedia, if you look at Qatar in 2022, the vast majority of hotel bookings came in the 60 days leading up to the tournament. Nearly half were in the week before it kicked off. If we look at the Club World Cup last year, more than half of all hotel stays were booked the two weeks leading into the tournament. Those are really tight booking windows, which make it more difficult for hoteliers to forecast and prepare.”
In a statement, Kelly Saling, Visit Seattle’s business officer, said, “There is apprehension among our hotel industry, and in hotels in host cities across the country, that they are not seeing the demand they anticipated, yet. I say yet because there is optimism that we still start to see bookings increase as we get closer to the tournament, hopefully mirroring what they saw during the last World Cup and 2025 International tournaments. At Visit Seattle, we are actively vying for soccer fans to choose Seattle as they decide where to go for the tournament, and there’s reason for optimism that they will. We have the most walkable downtown stadium of U.S. host cities, letting fans easily walk straight from their downtown hotels to the matches. They don’t need an expensive shuttle or train ride. Additionally, we’ll have great, temperate weather, great access to nature, and an inclusive culture. We’re also just a short trip to Vancouver, a fellow host city, giving fans the best option to extend their trip and see two host countries with minimal travel.”
Nationwide, hotel operators say the release of large blocks of rooms previously held by FIFA has added to the pressure. In some markets, up to 70% of those rooms have been returned to inventory, creating an oversupply and dampening rates.
Other cities are seeing mixed results. Kansas City reports some of the weakest demand, while Atlanta and Miami are outperforming expectations, helped by strong leisure travel and team-related activity.
International visitors remain critical to the tournament’s economic potential, spending more and staying longer than domestic travelers.
However, barriers to entry and higher costs are limiting that segment, raising concerns about the overall financial impact.
Even so, modest gains are still expected. Industry projections show hotel revenue per available room rising 1.7% during the tournament, an improvement over near-flat growth without the event.
With the tournament approaching, the report warns that without stronger international travel and fewer policy hurdles, cities like Seattle may not see the economic boost once anticipated
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
