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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has confirmed speculation her recent trip to the Dolce and Gabbana fashion show in Italy was paid for by mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.
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Shares of FMCG major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) declined over 6% to Rs 2,034 on the NSE on Tuesday after the company’s first quarter earnings missed analyst estimates.
The company reported a 3% year-on-year decline in net profit to Rs 2,673 crore for the first quarter of FY27. The company said the decline in PAT resulted from a one-off tax credit in the previous quarter.
Revenue from operations, however, rose 10.2% year-on-year to Rs 17,149 crore in Q1 FY27, compared with Rs 15,552 crore reported in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.
HUL reported an underlying sales growth (USG) of 10%, driven equally by volume and price, marking the company’s highest growth in thirteen quarters.
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EBITDA for the quarter stood at Rs 3,947 crore, up 8% from Rs 3,640 crore in the year-ago quarter. However, the EBITDA margin declined 40 basis points to 23% from 23.4% in the same period last year, HUL said in its investor presentation.
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HUL Q1 segment-wise performance
Home Care: Home Care delivered 14% USG, its highest growth in three years, driven by high-single-digit UVG. Disciplined market development and consumer-centric innovations helped strengthen market leadership while maintaining volume resilience. Beauty & Wellbeing: The segment recorded 12% USG, supported by high-single-digit UVG. Hair Care posted double-digit USG, led by Premium Hair Care, including future formats, while continuing to strengthen market leadership. Skin Care and Colour Cosmetics delivered high-single-digit USG, driven by double-digit growth in Premium Skin Care. Personal Care: Personal Care reported 4% USG, led by pricing as palm oil inflation persisted for the second consecutive year. Skin Cleansing recorded mid-single-digit USG, with Premium Bars delivering competitive volume-led double-digit growth. The segment also strengthened its market leadership in Bodywash.
Foods: Foods delivered 7% USG, driven by mid-single-digit UVG and continued strong performance in Lifestyle Nutrition and Coffee. Premium Tea recorded low-single-digit UVG, while Coffee delivered double-digit, volume-led growth, with RTD and Bru Gold continuing to scale up. Lifestyle Nutrition maintained its double-digit growth momentum. Boost crossed the Rs 1,000 crore annual turnover milestone, while Horlicks Superfoods and RTD continued to see encouraging traction.
HUL outlook
HUL expects FY27 to be better than FY26, led by portfolio and channel transformation. Commodity volatility continues to persist, with inflationary pressures expected to remain in the short term.
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The company expects consolidated EBITDA margin to remain around the current guided range, while its focus remains on driving competitive, volume-led revenue growth anchored to its key priorities.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
The FTSE 100 giant revealed it would launch a new £1bn share buyback after pre-tax profit jumped 17 per cent from the prior year
Barclays beat market expectations
Barclays profit soared beyond forecasts in the second quarter as widespread market turbulence drove an exceptional showing in its equities trading arm.
The FTSE 100 banking giant announced it would initiate a fresh £1bn share buyback programme after pre-tax profit climbed 17 per cent year-on-year to £6.1bn over the first six months. The figure surpassed City analysts’ expectations of £5.9bn.
The British bank reported income for the three months ending in June of £8.2bn, representing a £2.1bn increase on the corresponding quarter last year.
The lender’s investment banking division capitalised on extensive market volatility during the second quarter triggered by the conflict in Iran, as reported by City AM.
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Revenue in the unit advanced 20 per cent, propelled by the showing of its global banking operations and investment banking fees. Overall investment banking income reached £3.95bn, exceeding the £3.65bn forecast by City analysts.
Revenue from its equities trading arm surged 45 per cent compared with the equivalent period last year to £1.26bn. That result lagged behind Wall Street banks, which posted an average 69 per cent rise in equities over the same timeframe, boosted by the substantial SpaceX initial public offering that helped drive US earnings.
Chief executive CS Venkatarishnan, known as Venkat, is pursuing an agenda to overhaul the bank’s investment banking operation, committing to reduce its proportion of group risk-weighted assets. Barclays‘ private bank and wealth management division (PBWM) also posted a five per cent rise in income to £713m, underpinned by growth in client balances.
Chris Beauchamp, Chief Market Analyst at investing and trading platform IG, said: “With the share price sitting at post financial crisis highs there is little room for error for Barclays, but these results provide the reassurance that the group is well-placed for the rest of the year.
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“A solid run for the investment banking division helps allay concerns around the size of the motor finance claims, and for now the bigger concern will be how the deeply uncertain outlook for the global economy will play out in the months to come.”
The bank declared a dividend of 5.9p per share, up from 3p per share in the previous year.
The lender also revised its 2026 income target upwards to approximately £31.5bn, citing “robust growth” within its investment banking arm.
Shares of Tata Power were trading about 1% lower at Rs 373 during Tuesday’s session, even as Wall Street brokerage Morgan Stanley maintained its “Equal Weight” rating on the stock. The brokerage retained its target price of Rs 399 following the company’s decent Q1 FY27 performance, which saw net profit rise 11% year-on-year and revenue grow 8%. In an exchange filing dated July 27, Tata Power reported a consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 1,401 crore for Q1FY27, compared with Rs 1,262 crore in the same quarter last year, marking an 11% year-on-year growth.
The company’s revenue from operations increased to Rs 18,898 crore in Q1FY27 from Rs 17,464 crore in Q1FY26, registering an 8% YoY growth. EBITDA also improved by 8% to Rs 4,249 crore from Rs 3,930 crore in the corresponding quarter.
Tata Power deployed its highest-ever quarterly capital expenditure of Rs 5,375 crore during Q1FY27 as it accelerated investments across renewable energy, transmission, distribution, and clean energy infrastructure.
The company’s core businesses, including Generation, Transmission & Distribution, and Renewables, delivered strong growth, supported by improved operational efficiency. These segments recorded a 12% increase in revenue, a 12% rise in EBITDA, and a 14% growth in PAT on a year-on-year basis.
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Tata Power’s renewable energy segment continued to be a key growth driver, with PAT rising 15% YoY to Rs 612 crore in Q1FY27. The company’s solar manufacturing business reported a sharp improvement, with Solar Cell and Module Manufacturing PAT jumping nearly 3.9 times year-on-year to Rs 371 crore. The rooftop solar business also witnessed strong momentum, with PAT increasing 1.7 times YoY to Rs 145 crore, supported by higher adoption across consumer segments and nationwide project execution. The Transmission & Distribution (T&D) business reported PAT of Rs 492 crore and EBITDA of Rs 1,541 crore in Q1FY27, reflecting growth of 11% and 14%, respectively.
Tata Power’s Odisha DISCOM operations posted PAT growth of 6% YoY to Rs 111 crore. The company also became the first private utility in the state to cross the milestone of one crore registered customers.
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The company is also progressing with its pumped hydro storage expansion plans, with 324 MW of the 1,000 MW Bhivpuri Pumped Storage Project capacity already tied up with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
Morgan Stanley maintains ‘Equal Weight’ rating
According to an ET Now report, global brokerage firm Morgan Stanley has retained its “Equal Weight” rating on Tata Power with a target price of Rs 399.
The brokerage noted that Tata Power’s quarterly performance was broadly in line with expectations, supported by consistent earnings growth across its diversified business portfolio.
Management outlook
Dr Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Power, said the company is well positioned to participate in India’s transition toward reliable, round-the-clock clean energy. He highlighted the company’s integrated renewable energy approach combining solar, wind, battery storage, and pumped storage solutions.
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He added that capital expenditure worth over Rs 5,000 crore during the quarter has strengthened Tata Power’s growth roadmap, while milestones such as the return of Mundra plant operations, strong rooftop solar expansion, and cross-border energy partnerships reinforce its position as an integrated power major.
(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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