Preparations for the men’s football World Cup in the United States are being affected by weak hotel bookings, with the main host cities reporting demand below expectations less than a month before the first match. The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) said its end-of-May report points to a softer-than-expected tourism boost for the tournament, which is being co-organised with Mexico and Canada.
In cities set to host matches, including Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, nearly 80% of surveyed hotels said bookings were below typical summer levels. In New York, which will host the final alongside New Jersey, around two-thirds of surveyed hotels also reported weaker-than-expected bookings.
The AHLA linked the lower figures to the current political climate. A World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) study last year had already forecast a sharp fall in US tourism because of visa restrictions and reports of tourists being detained by immigration officials. Rebecca Burke, a British national, told ARA in May that she was arrested in February 2025 while leaving the country, and the number of affected people has since grown.
The tournament is taking place while one host nation is in conflict with Iran, and the US president has increased travel restrictions for 48 countries, mainly in Africa and the Arab world, with total or partial entry bans. Some delegations also faced visa problems during the group-stage draw. Iran and Haiti face total entry bans, while Ivory Coast and Senegal face partial visa restrictions.
Last year, the State Department also imposed a deposit of up to $15,000 for visa processing for fans from 50 countries, including Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia, all of which qualified for the tournament. In mid-May, the government reversed that decision and exempted citizens from those five countries with match tickets from the fee.
For Haitian fans, the barriers are especially high. Haiti is set to appear at the World Cup for the first time since 1974, but the country’s economic and political crisis makes travel and ticket costs difficult to meet. The large Haitian diaspora in the United States may also stay away because of fears of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, raids.
Ticket prices are adding another layer of concern. FIFA uses dynamic pricing, similar to airline fares, so prices can rise with demand and a single ticket can cost more than $1,000 before travel and accommodation. In April, New Jersey’s public transport system said it would charge fans up to $150 for travel from Penn Station in New York to MetLife Stadium on match days, before later reducing the fare to $98 in May.
Prosecutors in New York and New Jersey, where the final will be played, have opened an investigation into the high costs and plan to summon FIFA to explain its pricing for matches at MetLife Stadium. Nominal ticket prices for the final have reportedly reached $10,990. In response to public anger, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan to sell tickets to city residents for $50 at an event attended by Timothy Weah, the US national team forward and son of former Liberian star George Weah.