As anticipation builds for the FIFA World Cup 2026, travel planning is already well underway, with new data from Airbnb highlighting how fans are shaping travel patterns around the tournament.
According to Airbnb, demand is surging for early-stage matches featuring both high-profile teams and unexpected face-offs, while many travellers are also using the tournament as an opportunity to explore destinations beyond the host cities. Guests from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada are currently driving the highest volume of searches for accommodation around match dates.
Among the most in-demand fixtures based on Airbnb stay searches are Haiti vs. Scotland in Boston on 13 June, Brazil vs. Morocco in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Mexico vs. South Africa in Mexico City. Matches involving the United States are also proving popular, including USA vs. Paraguay in Los Angeles and USA vs. Australia in Seattle. East Rutherford emerges as a particularly strong draw, hosting several high-interest games, while later knockout-stage matches, such as a Round of 32 fixture in Los Angeles on 2 July, are also fuelling accommodation searches.
Search data shows the strongest interest coming from travellers based in the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and France, with notable demand also coming from Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Australia and Argentina.
Families and groups are a major force behind early World Cup travel demand. Airbnb reports that more than half of World Cup trips booked so far are for families or groups, underlining the tournament’s appeal as a shared, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Los Angeles is the most popular destination among families, with San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Miami and Kansas City also seeing high demand. Two-night stays are the most common for family bookings, followed closely by trips lasting four to five nights. Most families are opting for larger, more affordable homes, with around three quarters booking two- or three-bedroom listings.
Younger travellers are also playing a significant role. Gen Z guests account for more than 15 percent of bookings to date, with nearly half travelling in groups. Los Angeles, Miami and New York are the top destinations for this cohort, and over 40 percent have booked stays of three to five nights. International interest among Gen Z is particularly strong, with London and Glasgow leading as origin cities, followed by Tokyo and Los Angeles.
Beyond the matches themselves, Airbnb’s data points to a growing trend of gateway travel, where visitors extend their trips to explore more of the host countries. Non-US travellers account for 70 percent of this gateway travel, visiting more destinations and staying an average of three nights longer than US guests. Latin and South American travellers are staying the longest overall, with trips averaging 16 nights, followed by visitors from Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America. Travellers from Argentina are taking the longest trips, while those from Germany are visiting the highest number of destinations during their stay.
With early demand already highlighting longer stays, group travel and multi-destination itineraries, Airbnb’s insights suggest that FIFA World Cup 2026 will act not only as a global sporting event, but also as a catalyst for deeper, more expansive travel across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
