North Texas leaders have projected up to $2 billion in economic impact to the region<\/a>, but FIFA subsequently exited some hotel block reservations<\/a> as the matches drew closer. In a Friday spot check of Arlington hotels, it was still possible to book a room at the Loews Arlington Hotel<\/a> for $646, up from $395 earlier in the week.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard all the projections of nine Super Bowls associated with the nine matches in terms of the parallel economic impact,\u201d Brent DeRaad, president and CEO of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in an interview.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t know that it\u2019s going to reach that, necessarily. We are anticipating June and July to be probably two of the best revenue months, though, in Arlington\u2019s history. So there\u2019s going to be a lot of upside from this.\u201d<\/p>\n North America, as host, is certainly facing \u201cheadwinds,\u201d DeRaad said. Matches will be played in 16 cities spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico, in venues stretching from Vancouver to Mexico City. In contrast, 2022 host Qatar saw all of its matches played within a short distance of one another<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe impacts are going to be diffused just because of that,\u201d DeRaad said.<\/p>\n The ongoing Iranian conflict, the resulting higher jet fuel prices and airfares, higher gasoline prices and FIFA\u2019s introduction of airline-style supply-and-demand modeling<\/a> to price World Cup tickets also will likely affect demand, DeRaad said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing ticket prices that are considerably higher than what we\u2019ve seen for previous FIFA World Cups,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In addition, hostilities brewing between the U.S. and foreign nations and requirements on international travel to the World Cup have led travel experts to project some fans might stay home.\u00a0<\/p>\n The latest dustup occurred last week after the U.S. denied entry to a Somali football referee<\/a> who landed at Miami and was scheduled to officiate World Cup matches.<\/p>\n International inbound travel is expected to grow 1.6% this year, rebounding from last year\u2019s 2.4% decline and supported by increased travel related to the World Cup, the U.S. Travel Association said in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the same time, the association said \u201cinbound international visits remain exposed to potential further increases in visa fees, extended wait times for visa applications and renewals, and negative sentiment toward the United States in key source markets.\u201d<\/p>\n Local immigration protests<\/p>\n A small number of protesters against U.S. immigration policy rallied Sunday<\/a> outside the stadium in Arlington ahead of North Texas\u2019 opening match between the Netherlands and Japan. At a recent news conference in Dallas, a U.S. Secret Service official didn\u2019t directly address a question on whether immigration authorities planned enforcement during the World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea of making a fun environment for the fans is the whole approach,\u201d said Christina Foley, the U.S. Secret Service agent in charge of the Dallas field office and the region\u2019s federal World Cup coordinator.<\/p>\n \u201cFIFA wants it to be a fantastic event for the fans from all over the world. If someone is here and (has) gone through the legal process to be here to see the games, there\u2019s nothing \u2026 to be worried about when it comes to any additional expectation.\u201d<\/p>\n Questions about immigration came up again when FIFA President Gianni Infantino held his World Cup opening news conference last week in Mexico City, just after the incident involving the Somali referee.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is unfortunate,\u201d Infantino told reporters. \u201cMaybe sometimes it\u2019s good as well to chill, relax. We work on everything. We try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organization. We try to do our best with the means that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n Infantino touted Iran\u2019s appearance in the World Cup, the U.S. decision to lift a required $15,000 bond<\/a> for fans of five African nations in the competition and what he called a \u201cspeedy\u201d U.S. process for issuing visas.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course there are challenges, of course it\u2019s not easy,\u201d Infantino said. \u201cThis is about people forgetting for a moment their realities and being able to focus on a match and on a team.\u201d<\/p>\n International fans stream into the region<\/p>\n Fans of Croatia\u2019s national team are streaming into DFW ahead of the June 17 match against England in Arlington, Goran Krndija, a Fort Worth entrepreneur and one of the Croat organizers, told the Fort Worth Report.<\/p>\n The Croat community in North Texas numbers some 5,000 families, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had people from Australia, Canada, Croatia who are coming here,\u201d said Krndija, who didn\u2019t have a sense of how many are traveling to North Texas. FIFA doesn\u2019t allow fan groups to block up tickets.<\/p>\n Inside the U.S., he\u2019s heard from Croats who are coming from Chicago, New York, Florida and Ohio, he said. \u201cThere are three guys from Memphis<\/a> who are biking from Memphis to watch the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Many fans are booking hotels in Dallas, he said. But \u201conce they find out it\u2019s in Arlington,\u201d some are booking in Fort Worth and Arlington to be closer to the game.<\/p>\n Japanese fans were already in town last week ahead of Sunday\u2019s match vs. the Dutch. Princess Takamado and Japan\u2019s ambassador to the U.S. were scheduled to attend Sunday\u2019s game. They were also set to tour the Japanese Garden at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden on Monday before a dinner that night, Grant Ogata, president of the Japan America Society of DFW, told the Report.<\/p>\n Organizers are hosting eight children displaced by an earthquake in Japan.<\/p>\n Ogata said local organizers don\u2019t have a clear sense of how many fans will show up in North Texas to follow the Japanese team.<\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge is the yen is so weak now, and the hotels and tickets to the game are pretty expensive,\u201d said Ogata, who is hosting two friends from Japan who are going to the match.<\/p>\n The Japan Society\u2019s DFW members number 300 individuals and more than 100 corporate, with members such as the North American units of Toyota, NEC and Fujitsu, he said.<\/p>\n Japanese companies employ 75,000-80,000 people in Texas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Short-term rentals surge in North Texas around FIFA<\/p>\n There\u2019s still plenty of room at the inn for football fans seeking a short-term rental. Here\u2019s a snapshot from the AirDNA research firm.<\/p>\n Rental stays: Typical stays in the World Cup markets of Philadelphia and Kansas City are one to two nights. New York, Mexico City, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, four to five nights. \u201cTexas markets are kind of in the middle, predominantly one to four nights,\u201d Gallagher said.<\/p>\n Nights booked through late last week: 124,480, about 30,000 more than the same period last year.<\/p>\n Occupancy: 47%, 45% above the same time last year. \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen a lot of markets fill up,\u201d Bram Gallagher, AirDNA\u2019s economics director, told the Report.<\/p>\n Rents: Average $221 per night for booked listings, $384 average for available listings. \u201cThe less expensive rentals got booked first,\u201d he said. \u201cI do expect the rents are going to continue to increase.\u201d<\/p>\n Where the demand is: Three quarters in Dallas, remainder in the Fort Worth area, which includes Arlington.<\/p>\n Vacancy signs at short-term rentals<\/p>\n Visitor interest in shared rentals like Airbnb and VRBO is surging, an economist with AirDNA<\/a>, a consulting firm with offices in Denver and Barcelona that analyzes the market for shared rental owners, developers and investors, told the Report.<\/p>\n Bookings are up 30.4% above the same time last year for the DFW market, Bram Gallagher, AirDNA\u2019s director of economics and forecasting, said.<\/p>\n \u201cDFW is one of the highest\u201d performers of the 16 World Cup markets, he said. \u201cYou guys are slightly better than Miami, which is undeniably going to have a very successful World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n AirDNA\u2019s platform scrapes the Airbnb<\/a>, VRBO<\/a>, Booking.com<\/a> and Expedia<\/a> sites for its data and has analyzed trends around numerous major events including Super Bowls and Taylor Swift concerts, Gallagher said.<\/p>\n Of course, if you\u2019d rather book a night at Loews and hang out at Texas Live! next door, the hotel has rooms available around all World Cup dates, according to the Report\u2019s research.<\/p>\n Arlington expects strong performance, even if it doesn\u2019t meet the original expectations, said DeRaad, the CVB CEO. In 2025, the summer months drew 1 million visitors to the city who spent $3.1 billion.<\/p>\n Of the 31 World Cup dates, 24 days have programming in the Entertainment District, such as Texas Rangers games and concerts, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a lot of activity here in Arlington,\u201d he said. \u201cVery excited about those possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott Nishimura is a senior editor for local government accountability and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org.<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. 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Mexico’s Raul Jimenez, left, jumps for the ball with South Africa’s Ime Okon during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Natacha Pisarenko | AP archives)<\/p>\n![\"(Christine](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260614_CV_WorldCupNLvsJP-24-1024x683.jpg\")
Irving resident Abdul Khan joins a protest against ICE during the World Cup\u2019s Netherlands vs Japan game June 14 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington. Khan is a member of Vecinos Unidos DFW, a local Chicana-founded initiative formed to address ICE. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/CzechPractice.Morgan18-1024x576.jpg\")
Spectators fill the stands and cheer on the Czechia national team during their open practice June 6, 2026, at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium. The event drew soccer fans from across North Texas as Mansfield welcomed its World Cup-bound team. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report) <\/p>\n