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Learn how sports tourism is redefining travel in 2025 and how you can get in the game.
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How hotels can score bookings from football fans in 2026
Millions of sports tourists are gearing up to chase their favourite football teams to North America – and we’re giving you the tools to capture their demand.
Next year, millions of football fans will flood to North America to experience the world’s biggest football tournament – and chase the trip of a lifetime. Inspired by their favourite teams, they’ll fill hotels, restaurants and areas across 16 cities.
This isn’t just the world’s largest sporting event. It’s a once-in-a-generation moment to capture demand. The signs will be everywhere: painted faces and team jerseys crowding hotel lobbies, restaurants overflowing with fans and guests extending their stays long after the final whistle.
For hotels, this is where the real competition begins. By preparing now, you won’t just be ready for the game – you’ll be positioned to win it.
Sports demand is already in play for 2026
As the tournament approaches, roaring crowds won’t stop at the stadium. They’ll echo in hotel rooms, on city streets and in spending patterns. And this isn’t just imagination: the early data already shows this taking shape.
62%
Of travellers take sports trips of 2-6 days.¹
+50%
Seek out activities beyond the event.²
£1,187
Spent on average by sports tourists.³
While knockout fixtures and eventual champions are still unknown, more than five million fans are projected to travel for the tournament. In line with patterns from recent global tournaments, around half of the attendees are expected to travel from abroad.
We might be months away from kick-off, but you can tailor your strategy to drive stays from tournament attendees.
US fans are getting a head start
Early signs point to the tournament group stage as a driver for booking activity, especially from American fans ready to support the US team. Searches for the 19 June match in Seattle are already up 185%, while the two Los Angeles matches (12 and 25 June) are seeing 80% growth.⁴
185%
Surge in searches for the Seattle match
205%
rise in Australian searches to Mexico
130%
Rise in Australian searches to Canada
Hardcore fanbases are on the move
Passionate fanbases are making their mark in the data, with England fans leading the charge (and the cheers). Right now, their searches are already up 85% to the US, 135% to Canada and 205% to Mexico.⁵
Meanwhile, Australians – whose team has already qualified – are expected to travel in droves, with searches up 100% to the US and 130% to Canada.⁶
Your play-by-play: key dates to keep in mind
As the tournament approaches, demand will peak at different moments. Use this timeline as a guide to understand when fans are most likely to book, travel and extend their stays:
Your game plan for securing tournament demand
Claim your spot on the global stage
If you’re in a competitive market for the 2026 tournament, we want to give you every opportunity to drive bookings and revenue. It’s why we’re launching a dedicated traveller landing page – helping fans discover availability at North American hotels during the tournament. Stay tuned for more details on getting featured.
Set your starting lineup
Before you can win, you need a strategic lineup in place – and that’s where your rates, policies and listings come in.
Lock in rates and availability early
Ensure that travellers can see and book your property by extending your availability well into the tournament period. Then, leverage our revenue insights tool, Rev+, to optimise your pricing strategy and stay competitive.
Stay flexible to stay competitive
Sports tourism can bring last-minute changes for travellers, but you can use this to your advantage. Adopt competitive rates and flexible cancellation policies to stand out and keep your rooms filled.
Highlight your proximity to the action
When fans are scrolling listings, they’re looking for details that are relevant to them. Update your listing to highlight features they care about, such as proximity to stadiums, public transport or airports.
Build your strategy from day one
Staying proactive is key in driving championship demand, so keep a close eye on Partner Central and work with your market manager to finalise strategies leading up to the tournament.
Lead the field
Tournament demand doesn’t stop at the stadium gates. Strategically boost your visibility to stay ahead of the competition – especially if you’re outside the centre of action.
Boost visibility for specific dates with Accelerator
Make the most of peak tournament travel windows by setting up an Accelerator. This pay-per-stay tool lets you enhance your organic search visibility on high-demand dates so that you can stand out without upfront costs.
Grab attention with TravelAds Sponsored Listings
Stand out in search results by creating eye-catching, customisable campaigns that show the best of your property. You get full control over your TravelAds listing and only pay for the clicks your ad receives.
Win over the away team
Drive even stronger results by tailoring offers to the millions of international fans and rewards members travelling for the tournament.
Increase competitiveness with promotional rates
Extend your reach by offering special discounts to our One Key™ rewards members – high-value travellers who tend to book more frequently and spend more than non-members.⁷
Score with package promotions
Appeal to international travellers and large groups with bundled hotel, flights and/or car hire packages. These packages tend to come with lower cancellation rates, help you secure bookings in advance and allow you to offer more value without lowering your rates.
Offer international traveller rates
44% of our Sports Tourism Study respondents travelled internationally for their last sporting event and this increased for travellers from several countries such as Canada (62%), Germany (58%) and France (57%).⁸ Capture more of this demand with discounts exclusive to international travellers.
Football teams aren’t the only ones winning the tournament – you can, too.
As millions of fans start to think about following their teams around the world, you have the chance to be their first pick. By boosting your visibility, staying flexible and tapping into our unmatched traveller audience, you can make the most of a global travel spike.
Log in to Partner Central
Optimise your strategy for maximum visibility ahead of the global football tournament.
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¹Expedia Group, Sports Tourism Study, 2025
²Ibid
³Ibid
⁴Expedia US POSa data, 1 January 2025–16 July 2025
⁵Expedia.co.uk data, 1 January 2025–16 July 2025
⁶Expedia.com.au data, 1 January 2025–16 July 2025
⁷On average compared to non-members. Expedia Group internal data, 2023.
⁸Expedia Group, Sports Tourism Study, 2025