MALANGRAYA.CO – Skyrocketing ticket prices, weaker-than-expected hotel bookings and continuing economic uncertainty are raising questions about whether the 2026 World Cup will provide a big advantage for the hosts.
For tourists, US President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda has become a barrier. In April 2026, various groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), issued warnings to foreign tourists heading to the US to watch the 2026 World Cup.
“The increasing authoritarianism and worsening violence under the Trump administration pose serious risks for everyone. So, visitors should be careful when traveling to and within the US,” they said, reported by Al Jazeera.
Fans also face confusion regarding visas. The US government has abolished the visa guarantee program which required visitors from 50 countries to pay a security deposit of 15 thousand US dollars.
Also Read: Tensions Are Heating! US Blocks Iran Supporters’ Ticket Quota for 2026 World Cup
Last May 2026, this requirement was removed for those with tickets to the 2026 World Cup matches. However, amid reports of visa processing delays, travelers may not be able to arrive on time, or may even still be barred from entry.
Domestic tourists are also feeling the pressure. A stagnant job market and higher prices of basic necessities such as gasoline have weighed on spending.
Together, these pressures are dampening travel demand related to the 2026 World Cup, threatening to dampen the economic growth that organizers and host cities once hoped for.
“There is less and less interest in traveling and paying expensive ticket prices. I think there are also some geopolitical issues that are making people more wary of traveling to the US,” said Mike Edwards, a sports management professor at North Carolina State University.
Also Read: Get Ready to Break Out! 5 Records that are in danger of falling at the 2026 World Cup
Lesu Hotel Reservations
Just days before the start of the tournament, 80 percent of hotel bookings were below expectations. About 70 percent of respondents cited visa obstacles and geopolitical turmoil as the main reasons, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
In New York, which will host the final, bookings were only about 65 percent of what respondents expected. In Seattle, Washington, 80 percent of hotels lagged behind their usual summer booking levels.
It’s not just host cities in the US that are experiencing a decline in demand. Across the border in Canada, hotel bookings in Vancouver, British Columbia, also came in below expectations.
“Despite its global profile, FIFA has not generated the broad hotel demand that many had hoped for,” said the British Columbia Hotel Association.
Also read: 2026 World Cup is tense, Swiss training camp is surrounded by poisonous snake zone!
Inconsistent Ticket Prices
In December 2025, Football Supporters Europe, an organization for supporters, called the increase in ticket prices, which at that time was at least seven times higher than the price for tickets for the 2022 World Cup, as ‘blackmail’ and a ‘monumental betrayal’.
Ticket prices currently remain high. The average price for a top-of-the-table ticket to an early game in Dallas, for example, is well above $800 for the lowest end.
Tickets for the final on July 19, 2026 are not available, according to FIFA’s website. However, listings on Ticketmaster show prices starting at around $9,200 per ticket and going up to $43,553.
This price increase is the result of dynamic pricing, prices increase based on demand. However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the strategy at the Milken Institute Conference earlier this year.
Also read: List of items prohibited from entering 2026 World Cup stadiums, including refillable drinking bottles
“We are in a market with the most developed entertainment industry in the world, so we have to apply market prices,” he said at the time.
On the resale market, prices have dropped 11 percent in the past month, according to TicketData, which tracks resale ticket prices.
Late last month, attorneys general in New York and New Jersey announced investigations into game ticket prices and pricing strategies.
“No one should be manipulated into paying exorbitant prices for tickets, and fans must be able to trust that the tickets they buy are the tickets they will receive,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
