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The FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11th, bringing with it thousands of international soccer fans desperate for a place to stay and willing to pay thousands of dollars for the privilege. As a result, short-term rental hosts stand to make a fortune, tripling prices and selling out in seconds.
The dizzying prospect of earning $6,000 a night in some U.S. suburbs has even got regular homeowners looking to decamp to relatives while turning their primary residences over to the soccer-crazed hordes, while regular landlords are considering revamping their revenue models to capitalize on the cash flow shock wave.
World Cup 2026: A Unique Tournament
The 2026 tournament is the first time that games will be held in three countries—the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, with 16 host cities—75% of the games will be played in the U.S., with Mexico and Canada hosting 25% each, and an expanded 104-game format that extends the window of peak demand and potential cash flow for short-term rental hosts.
According to the New York Times, the New York-New Jersey region is expecting more than 1 million visitors, and hotels in host cities have been quick to take advantage, inflating prices by 300%.
A Smash-and-Grab Cash Flow Oasis Amid an International Visitor Drought
For short-term rental hosts, the opportunity to seize on a soccer-fueled gold mine is welcome news at a time when overseas visits to the U.S. are markedly down in the wake of aggressive immigration tactics and conflict in the Middle East.
“Even a perfectly executed World Cup will not resolve the underlying structural challenges facing the hotel industry,” Vijay Dandapani, president of the Hotel Association of New York City, told the Times.
International inbound travel to the U.S. fell by nearly 5% in January compared to the same time last year, marking the ninth straight month of decline, according to the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). A 22% year-over-year decline in Canadian visitors cost the U.S. economy $4.5 billion in 2025. In total, the U.S. was estimated to have lost $30 billion in tourism dollars.
Popular STR platforms such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com realize that amid the booking downturn, the World Cup presents a short window of opportunity to make up for losses elsewhere in the year.
“It’s really this once-in-a-generational moment,” Nathan Rotman, Airbnb’s director of policy strategy for North America, told The Athletic. “It’s a real opportunity for cities to show themselves off, but also to test out whether they can accommodate fans.”
Property manager Bobby Roufaeal, who is managing over a dozen STRs in New Jersey, is tripling rates for his units and expects a single luxury property to generate about $240,000 during the tournament, encouraging hosts to see the potential for significant income.
“They’re like, listen, I’ll figure it out. I’ll go stay with my relatives for the month or for a few weeks just to be able to capitalize on this revenue,” Roufaeal told Bloomberg, explaining how owners plan to vacate their personal residences to capitalize on the cash flow potential.
$4,000 Income Reality Check
International accounting firm Deloitte, commissioned by Airbnb, estimated that hosts in U.S. World Cup cities could bring in $4,000 on average during the tournament, which translates to $262 per night, even in pricier coastal cities. That number jumps up to $5,700 on average in New York, the highest of all host cities. Additionally, Airbnb has offered first-time hosts an incentive of $750 to use the platform and host their first guests by July 31, 2026.
“Demand for World Cup stays on Airbnb is surging, giving residents of host cities the opportunity to boost their incomes by sharing their homes and the communities they love,” Dave Stephenson, Airbnb’s chief business officer, said in a statement shared with Realtor.com. “There’s truly never been a better time to become a host on Airbnb.”
Demand Spike and STR Regulation Waivers
AirDNA is tracking demand for short-term rentals in advance of the World Cup. As expected, the numbers will change by city and date as we get closer to the games.
Municipalities have been forced to adjust their STR policies to ensure there are enough beds to accommodate the surge in visitors. In Kansas City, which will host six matches and where 650,000 visitors are expected to descend on a city with only 65,000 hotel rooms, the demand has had far-reaching repercussions.
“They [the city] had reached out to the Kansas City Alliance and said, ‘Hey, we are about 500 listings short of what we need. Will you help us bring new hosts to the area?” Tyann Marcink Hammond, president of the Missouri Vacation Home Alliance, said during an episode of the Alex and Annie Vacation Rental Podcast, as cited by Rent Responsibly.
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The scope of influence for hosts extends well beyond the Kansas City limits, where short-term rental rules differ markedly, with rental caps and bans on non-hosted rentals. These have temporarily been waived to accommodate the influx. “They understand the economic benefits, and they want that in their community,” Hammond said.
In June 2025, Jackson County legislators proposed an emergency pause on the reclassification of short-term rentals from residential to commercial properties. However, the reclassification tripled the tax exposure for some STR owners, angering many of them.
“This is outrageous, and I absolutely will shut down prior to the World Cup,” Laura Williams, vice president of the Kansas City Short Term Rental Alliance, told KSHB 41.
For small landlords who might not have a regulatory attorney at hand, understanding the quagmire of changing rules could result in fines and forced cancellations during a potential windfall event. Ironically, New York, led by soccer-crazed mayor Zohran Mamdani, has some of the strictest STR rules in the country, banning stays under 30 days, which it has refused to relinquish. This move means STR business goes to New Jersey and elsewhere.
Final Thoughts: The World Cup and Beyond—Where STR Landlords Can Profit the Most
The World Cup has presented an interesting debate: How much revenue can STR hosts in major cities hosting major events make, and is it enough to offset the high cost of doing business (taxes, insurance, expensive properties, and interior furnishings) in those cities?
For many landlords, the lure of a high volume of revenue over a short period, as opposed to ongoing monthly rental income and the hassle of chasing up rents and dealing with evictions, might be enough to cause them to switch strategies and chase fast cash.
For cities with stringent STR rental rules, such as New York, lobbying efforts by STR companies and strategic affiliation with event organizers, such as Airbnb’s pact with FIFA, may make them rue the tourism revenue they are turning away. On the flip side, the average income of $4,000 a month, as predicted by Deloitte, means that unless major events are ongoing near your rental property, switching to short-term hosting over long-term renting may be more hype than dollars.
