Business
World Cup travel boost hasn’t materialized for U.S. businesses, yet

The 2026 World Cup is expected to bring a wave of global soccer fans to North America. But the travel boom is shaping up to look less like one uniform surge and more like a city-by-city, match-by-match test of pricing power.
“Demand is real and positive, but it’s not evenly distributed across host cities,” said Jay Wardle, president of travel data intelligence company Sojern.
New flight-booking data from Sojern shows most U.S. and Canadian host cities are seeing year-over-year gains for the tournament window, led by Houston and Dallas. But Seattle and all three Mexican host cities are trailing last year’s pace.
The tournament kicks off Thursday in Mexico City and runs through mid-July, ending with the final at New York New Jersey Stadium — better known as MetLife Stadium — in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the biggest World Cup ever, with 48 teams, 104 matches and games across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
For hotels, restaurants, airlines, ride-sharing companies and host cities, the pitch has been straightforward: more teams, more games, more fans and more spending.
FIFA has projected the event could contribute up to $17.2 billion to U.S. GDP.
But Deutsche Bank said even if it brings 1.2 million international fans to North America, the overall economic impact will likely be limited in a U.S. economy of this size — amounting to a short-term GDP lift of roughly 0.05% if FIFA’s estimate is reached.
Hotels and Airbnb
Businesses along Roosevelt Avenue prepare for the World Cup by displaying flags, soccer jerseys, and banners on June 09, 2026, in the Queens borough of New York City.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
The financial bonanza is likely to be split unevenly among cities, hotels, restaurants and other tourism-dependent businesses.
Airbnb said it is expecting its best event ever, surpassing the 2024 Paris Olympics. The company expects to benefit from families and groups looking for larger accommodations or lower per-person costs.
It could also benefit from how long travelers are staying. Sojern’s data shows more than three-quarters of World Cup travelers plan to spend six to 12 nights at their destination.
“We’re pretty enthusiastic about the impact of FIFA as we look at booking patterns coming into the summer,” Marriott CEO Tony Capuano told CNBC. “We’re seeing really strong demand patterns in both FIFA and non-FIFA cities in the U.S.”
Capuano said Marriott expects the World Cup to lift U.S. revenue per available room by about 40 basis points.
Marriott, the world’s largest hotel chain, said it’s particularly well-positioned because of its brand recognition and rewards ecosystem.
“Because of the breadth of our global footprint, we have deep experience, whether it’s FIFA, whether it’s the Olympics, Super Bowl,” Capuano said. “The booking patterns we’re seeing are tracking pretty closely with our expectations.”
Capuano said some release of FIFA room blocks had been anticipated and that current bookings are “right on track” with Marriott’s forecast. The bigger variable, he said, will be the later rounds, when travel demand could shift depending on which national teams advance.
Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, said South Florida is already seeing World Cup-related momentum. Allen said more than half of tickets for games in the Miami area are being purchased by locals, while the rest are coming from tourists.
He said Miami’s deep ties to Central and South America are helping drive demand, along with the region’s existing tourism infrastructure and soccer culture.
For Hard Rock, Allen said the World Cup is already producing high-end international traffic. He said the company is seeing guests from multiple continents, including some staying at Hard Rock properties for the first time.
He also said casino play tied to the event is exceeding normal levels and rivaling the kind of activity Hard Rock sees around major events such as the Super Bowl and Formula One.
‘Still finalizing plans’
Businesses along Roosevelt Avenue prepare for the World Cup by displaying flags, soccer jerseys, and banners on June 09, 2026, in the Queens borough of New York City.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
Sojern’s flight booking data shows nearly an 8% increase in Miami, with New York showing nearly the same boost. Dallas-Fort Worth is seeing a roughly 10% jump and nearly 13% increase in Houston.
But not all cities are seeing the same lift. For instance, Seattle’s flight bookings are nearly 21% lower than this time last year.
The expanded World Cup format means more inventory and more tickets to sell across more matches. Marquee games, host-nation matches and the final are still expected to command premium demand. But lower-profile group-stage matches in large NFL stadiums have been harder to fill, especially with ticket prices remaining high, on par with Super Bowl-level scarcity.
That creates a pricing challenge. Host cities and hotel owners prepared for a once-in-a-generation event. But fans are making practical decisions: which match is worth the trip, how far they are willing to travel, whether to stay in a hotel or short-term rental, and whether prices still make sense.
Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, said hotel demand in host cities has “evolved differently than many initially anticipated,” driven in part by lower-than-expected international visitation.
A survey by the industry group in April showed 80% of respondents reported reservations weren’t meeting expectations. Some were furious that FIFA had canceled large room blocks it had previously booked.
But she said AHLA members are now seeing demand pick up, consistent with shorter booking windows for major events.
“Unlike typical leisure travel, many visitors are still finalizing plans and securing tickets,” Maietta said. “The industry expects some acceleration of late bookings in the lead-up to individual games and we believe stadium attendance will be strong.”
Sojern said 35% of hotel bookings in World Cup host cities historically occur in the final seven days before travel.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino downplayed any concerns about disappointing results in travel. He told CNBC’s Sara Eisen on Tuesday, “We should make the analysis after the end of the World Cup. We have never seen so many ticket requests. “

Deutsche Bank said hotel real estate investment trusts with greater exposure to full-service hotels could benefit from World Cup demand as team delegations, sponsors and business groups use not just rooms, but meeting spaces and food-and-beverage outlets. The firm has generally baked a 50- to 75-basis-point revenue per available room lift into its hotel REIT models tied to the tournament. It also expects luxury hotels to benefit more than economy properties.
Restaurants may be better positioned to benefit broadly. Deutsche Bank said foodservice companies should get a lift from both tourism and watch parties, especially restaurants near stadiums and host cities, delivery-heavy concepts such as pizza and wings, and sports bars showing games during North American time zones.
Derek Evans, CEO of the Marcus Samuelsson Group, told CNBC that in the restaurant business, it’s too early to count his chickens.
“You haven’t seen fandom really kick in yet,” he said. “When your country’s team starts winning that’s when travel budgets go out the window.”
Rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft could also see increased demand around matches.
The key question for host cities is whether even the biggest sporting event in the world has a price ceiling.
Disclosure: CNBC parent Versant carries NBC Sports-produced Olympic coverage on its networks, including USA Network and CNBC.
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AMG River Road Small-Mid Cap Value Fund Q1 2026 Commentary (ARSMX)
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Wipro’s Rs 15,000 crore buyback opens today: Analysts expect 7-8% returns for retail investors. Here’s how
Wipro’s buyback will remain open from June 10 to June 17 during which the company will buy back up to 5.7% of its total paid-up share capital. The record date for the buyback was fixed on June 5, which means that only those shareholders who owned shares of the company on that day would be eligible to tender shares in the offer, and investors taking fresh positions today will not qualify.
Key things to know about Wipro’s buyback
Under Wipro’s buyback offer, eligible shareholders in the reserved category for small shareholders are entitled to tender 11 equity shares for every 56 equity shares held as on the record date (June 5). For shareholders falling under the general category, the buyback entitlement has been fixed at 10 equity shares for every 197 equity shares held on the record date.
Buyback of shares refers to a corporate action where a company repurchases its own shares from the existing shareholders. Usually, the company purchases the shares at a higher price than the current levels, encouraging investors to participate. Notably, Wipro has said that its promoters and promoter groups have indicated their intention to participate in the buyback. They can tender a maximum of 745 crore shares.
How can you participate in Wipro buyback?
Wipro shareholders can participate in the share buyback by placing a bid through a stock broker registered either with the BSE or the NSE via a separate window that would open up on the stock exchanges. The registrar will complete the verification of tendered shares by June 19, 2026. Thereafter, the final acceptance or rejection of shares tendered under the buyback will be communicated to the stock exchanges by June 23. The payment will be made to the eligible shareholders by June 24.
After the buyback, Wipro will return the unaccepted shares by June 24, as per the schedule shared by the IT giant in its exchange filing. “Eligible Shareholders must ensure that their demat account(s) is active and unblocked for receipt of unaccepted shares and that their bank account is linked with their demat account for credit of remittance on acceptance of equity shares under the buyback,” the company said.
How much profit can retail investors make from Wipro buyback?
Let’s take an investor who bought 1,008 shares of Wipro at Rs 198 apiece before the record date and is planning to tender shares in the buyback for example. The total value of her shares as on the record date stood at Rs 1,99,584, making her eligible for Wipro’s reserved category for small shareholders (less than Rs 2 lakh).
As per the entitlement ratio, she will be entitled to tender 198 shares out of her 1,008 stock holding (11 equity shares for every 56 equity shares held as on the record date). It is important to note that not all shares she tenders may be accepted in the buyback process.
However, for the shares accepted as part of the buyback, she will earn Rs 52 per share at the buyback price of Rs 250 per share, much higher than what she would have made if she sold the shares at the current market price of less than Rs 180.
Analysts on Wipro buyback
Sunny Agrawal, Head of Fundamental Research at SBI Securities, said that any retail investor holding shares within the small shareholder category (total value of shareholding below Rs 2 lakh as on the record date) should tender all her shares in the buyback.
“A retail investor holding up to 1,008 shares as on the record date will be eligible to tender around 212 shares (assuming an acceptance ratio of approximately 21% versus an entitlement ratio of 19.7%) at the buyback price of Rs 250, implying a gain of around Rs 70 per share over the current market price,” the analyst explained.Based on this calculation, the investor can earn a potential profit of around Rs 14,800, implying a 7.4% return on a total portfolio of Rs 2 lakh, Agrawal said. “While this is beneficial, the absolute return remains moderate rather than highly attractive,” he added. This is a good option for investors who acquired shares at Rs 198 or higher (as per the buyback document, on the record date, the closing price on NSE was Rs 198.37), according to the analyst.
Also Read | Should retail investors tender shares in Wipro’s buyback?
Harshal Dasani, Business Head at INVasset PMS, also said that existing eligible retail shareholders tendering shares in the buyback seem to be rational as the accepted portion can be sold back at a fixed premium.
If we assume Wipro’s market price at around Rs 181 apiece, the spread will roughly be Rs 69 per accepted share before tax and costs, Dasani explained, adding that on the entitlement alone, about 19 to 20 shares out of every 100 may get accepted, though the final acceptance can be higher depending on participation.
Narendra Solanki, Head of Fundamental Research of Investment Services at Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers, calculated that retail or reserved category investors who are holding Wipro shares less than Rs 2 lakh as on the record date will likely have an acceptance ratio of 20%, and may earn a profit of approximately 7.7%.
What is the real risk?
The real risk is the unaccepted portion of shares, Dasani cautioned. If the stock weakens after the buyback, especially in a bearish IT and broader market setup, the residual holding can dilute the apparent arbitrage return, he explained.
“So this is a tactical buyback opportunity, not a reason to become structurally positive on Wipro or Nifty IT,” Dasani cautioned.
Also Read | 10 key things to know before tendering shares in Wipro’s Rs 15,000 crore buyback
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
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Honasa shares jump 6% on Rs 5,500 crore revenue target by FY31. What is Goldman Sachs saying?
The company’s revenue outlook implies a CAGR of about 18% between FY26 and FY31. Mamaearth is expected to remain the key growth driver, with revenue crossing Rs 2,000 crore by FY31, while The Derma Co is projected to contribute nearly Rs 1,500 crore during the same period.
Further, the company plans at least two more Rs 500 crore revenue-generating brands across the portfolio, it said in an investor presentation. It owns brands such as Aqualoga, BBlunt, Dr Sheth’s, and Reginald Men.
Honasa plans to expand EBITDA margins to 15% by unlocking a 500-basis-point improvement through a stronger presence in higher-margin channels and categories, alongside benefits from scale and operating efficiencies.
The company’s direct outlet network is targeted to grow from around 1.2 lakh outlets currently to 3 lakh outlets by FY31. A greater mix of general trade, modern trade, and quick commerce is also expected to support margin expansion.
Honasa aims to become the national market leader in at least two skincare categories, while securing a top-three market share position in at least two additional categories.
Following the development, Goldman Sachs raised the target price of Rs 400, which the company has already surpassed. The international brokerage has maintained a Neutral rating on the counter.
Reflecting faster profitability improvement, the brokerage has raised its FY27-FY29 earnings estimates by 1-4%. However, Goldman Sachs believes the stock’s risk-reward remains balanced at current valuations.
Honasa Q4 snapshot
The company reported a whopping 177% year-on-year (YoY) jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 69 crore for the fourth quarter of the financial year 2026, from Rs 25 crore in the year-ago period.
Honasa’s revenue from operations, meanwhile, jumped over 23% YoY to Rs 657 crore during Q4 of FY26, compared to the Rs 533 crore revenue reported in the corresponding quarter of FY25.
Honasa shares have risen 64% in the last six months and about 50% in 2026.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
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