With less than three months before the first World Cup soccer match at MetLife stadium, hotel bookings for the event are disappointing, suggesting that the predicted $3 billion economic boost will be far less.
While Mayor Zohran Mamdani said earlier this month that the Cup has “the potential to be an immense economic driver in this city,” advanced reservations for New York’s World Cup weeks are trending 2% below advance bookings for those same days in 2025 — when there were no special events.
“The bookings have been softer than expected,” said Sarah Bratko, vice president and policy counsel for the American Hotels & Lodging Association.
FIFA’s projection last year that the events would generate $3 billion in economic activity in the New York area is based on the assumption that 1.2 million visitors will come to the New York-New Jersey region during the tournament. They are expected to spend $1.7 billion, support 26,000 jobs and produce $432 million in state and local tax revenue, the international football group found.
But the city comptroller recently estimated in a budget report that, even if the event were as successful as predicted, the city would spend more on direct costs, like policing, than it would receive in additional tax revenue.
Current high prices for hotels could be a factor in meager bookings. For example, the Midtown Hilton is charging $379 a night for its cheapest room in late May. But for the four days before the first match on June 13, prices are listed at $533 a night. And for the four nights preceding the final match at MetLife on July 19, the rate jumps to $627.
Sports economists earlier told THE CITY that the earlier FIFA estimate was wildly out of line with previous World Cup events, primarily because most tickets will be bought by people living in the New York area, with the possible exception of the final match. And the tourists who are traveling to games may be seeking cheaper accommodations.
Palmeiras and Porto play at MetLife Stadium in the Club World Cup, June 15, 2025. Credit: A.RICARDO/Shutterstock
For example, sports economist Victor Matheson, a dedicated soccer fan, is planning to attend two matches in Boston, where he lives. He is also going to one in Kansas City with a friend because he has to be in Denver the next day, he told THE CITY in the fall. He’ll be staying at an inexpensive motel far from the event because he discovered hotels in downtown Kansas City want $500 a night for a room during the Cup.
Another factor could be the Trump administration’s policies abroad and at the border, although officials are reluctant to broach the subject. The administration has prohibited travel from many countries and toughened visa rules, and it isn’t clear that the promises it made to help World Cup travelers are actually being implemented.
“Mega events like the World Cup rarely deliver a sustained boost for local hotel markets,” said Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City. “Time and again, data shows that while hotels advertise higher rates well in advance, prices often fall sharply as the event approaches.”
Both Dandapani and Bratko raised alarm about hotel finances in testimony to two City Council committees this month. While tourism in 2025 rebounded to just below the record level of 66.6 million tourists in 2025, increases in expenses since the pandemic have been far larger than the amount room rates have gone up, they said.
Luxury hotels are doing well, Dandapani says, as well-off travelers continue to spend. But other hotels are seeing their profit margins squeezed.
The industry’s rocky footing comes as a contract with the powerful hotel union expires on June 30 for the first time in a decade. That deal increased the annual pay for housekeepers to $82,000 a year before overtime, and the union is expected to push for major wage increases in a new pact.
The city’s tourism agency, NYC Tourism + Conventions, admits that bookings at this point in the year are below those for 2025, but says it expects the situation to improve. Its surveys show 42% of U.S. travelers and 49% of global travelers said they have made concrete plans to attend the World Cup, but have not booked yet.
“We expect to see fans confirm their travel following the next sales phase in April. We continue to watch the situation closely,” Julie Coker, CEO of the agency, said in a statement to THE CITY.
Even if the event did generate the tourism traffic predicted, additional tax revenue would be no more than $55 million, according to the recent estimate from city comptroller Mark Levine, while the city is expected to spend $70 million in additional costs for the NYPD, Department of Small Business and Emergency Management.
The Mamdani administration disputes the comptroller’s findings.
“The comptroller’s estimate falls short of capturing the full scope of what this World Cup will mean for our city. We expect $1.7 billion in direct spending tied to the tournament — activity that will translate into hundreds of millions in tax revenue to support public services New Yorkers rely on,” said City Hall spokesperson Cassio Mendoza.
“But the true impact goes beyond dollars and cents. This moment is about showcasing our city to the world and strengthening the fabric of our neighborhoods.”
Some in the industry share that optimism.
“We are not where we want to be,” said Bratko. “But there are also a lot of things that can happen. We want to focus on the opportunity.”
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