Modest World Cup lift still poised to play key role for U.S. hotel industry

ARLINGTON, Va. – The recently revised U.S. hotel forecast from CoStar and Tourism Economics projects a 1.7% increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) during the World Cup months of June and July. While the anticipated lift is modest, it would represent a meaningful contribution to overall industry growth in 2026.

Overall for 2026, the industry is forecasted for a 0.6% RevPAR increase after a decline of 0.3% in 2025. Without that World Cup-driven gain, RevPAR growth would be 40 basis points lower at 0.2%.

During the last U.S. World Cup in 1994, RevPAR for June and July rose 6.9%, largely on a 5.0% increase in average daily rate. The top-line growth around this year’s World Cup will be almost entirely on a 1.6% lift in ADR.

Our forecast is tempered due to the uncertainty surrounding international inbound travel, which fell in 2025 due to policy and perception changes. Still, a 1.7 increase would be noticeably better than the months before (-0.4%) and after (+1.0%) the World Cup. Isaac Collazo, STR’s senior director, analytics

Ten of the 11 U.S. host cities for the World Cup are included in STR’s Top 25 Markets, underscoring the event’s concentration in the country’s largest hotel markets. On average, those host markets are expected to see a RevPAR gain of 3.8% for the year and 12.7% in June/July. For comparison, in 1994, host cities collectively saw June/July RevPAR rise 11.9%. Without the World Cup, 2026 host markets would be forecast for just 2.0% growth in RevPAR.

While there is upside for the host markets, the impact to the total U.S. average is negligible due to the underlying weakness expected elsewhere, Collazo said.

Forward-booking data shows an uptick in occupancy on the books beginning on the day of the first U.S. match (12 June 2026) and remaining elevated through 4 July. After the holiday, occupancy levels revert to the softer pace observed in the days leading up to the tournament’s start.

In addition to updates around forward booking levels, the CoStar and Tourism Economics forecast will continue to be refined in the months ahead.

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