FIFA has canceled some hotel block reservations in Dallas and Arlington just months before the 2026 World Cup is scheduled to begin, officials confirmed to KERA.
While cancelations have also been reported at other cities across the United States, none will host as many games as Arlington at nine matches.
A spokesperson for FIFA declined to say how many reservations were canceled in North Texas. Other host cities like Philadelphia and Mexico City have reported up to 2,000 cancelations.
"These rooms were set aside for FIFA staff, media organizations, and tournament operational stakeholders," a spokesperson for FIFA told KERA. "As attendance numbers become more concrete closer to the start of matches, FIFA adjusts hotel room bookings accordingly."
The cancelations are within FIFA's contracts and has canceled reservation blocks at previous World Cups, the spokesperson said.
Brent DeRaad, president of the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau, said anti-United States sentiment and trouble getting travel visas could be factors keeping demand down more than initially expected.
"We anticipate sellouts in Arlington, certainly the night before matches and then match nights," DeRaad said. "But we may not have that week or two week long activity consecutively that we would had otherwise with a group filling those rooms."
Bob Heere, professor of sports management at the University of North Texas, told KERA most games will likely be sold out, but the demand will come domestically rather than internationally.
"The policies of the American government in recent years have sent a clear signal to the rest of the world," Heere said. "And many of them are concerned about coming to the United States."
Americans are also willing to spend more on tickets than international fans, which has driven up ticket prices higher than normal, he said.
Additionally, fans and players from five countries that have qualified for the World Cup must pay up to $15,000 for a bond to get a tourist visa this year due to President Donald Trump's stricter immigration policy.
Despite those challenges, Zane Harrington, a spokesperson for Visit Dallas, told KERA hotel reservations are up. The average daily rate for a room in Dallas is up 46% for June and 47% for July compared to last year, he said. International bookings for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field are nearly 100% more than last year.
Short-term rental demand is up nearly %150 across June in Dallas, according to data from AirDNA.
DeRaad said Arlington is expecting to see increased hotel demand as the tournament gets closer.
"Generally more than half of the hotel rooms booked in our city are booked within 14 days of the stay," DeRaad said. "And for us, it makes things a little nerve wracking at times, but generally what we'll see is, again, really strong pickup in those last couple of weeks."
Zooming out, the World Cup is expected to bring more than 1 million visitors to North Texas, generating between $1.5 billion and $2 billion for the region.
It's also spurred investment in AT&T Stadium, transportation infrastructure and homelessness solutions.
The final batch of World Cup tickets will go on sale April 1.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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