We ranked all sixteen host cities by expected demand impact: factoring in team strength, day-of-week scheduling, travel convenience (both international and domestic), stadium size and more.

This isn't about which cities will throw the best party. It's about where hoteliers can expect the strongest booking surge when the tournament kicks off.

Let’s review which markets hoteliers can expect the highest demand impact, and power rank who came out on top.

#1 New York City / New Jersey, US

In our top spot was an easy shoe-in: New York City / New Jersey

Why number one? Top-ten-ranked Brazil, Germany, France, and England all play in the group stage in NY/NJ, and although none of their opponents are behemoths, fans will still come out in droves to see a potential tournament winner early on.

Additionally, New York City / New Jersey will be a very geographically convenient host city that is sure to be a fan favorite as it can serve as a springboard for international guests to travel to other games in the region and beyond.

All matches hosted in NY/NJ have their strengths, but some key storylines include:

• Brazil (#5) vs. Morocco (#11) - Perennial powerhouse vs. Africa’s highest ranking team

• France (#3) vs. Senegal (#19) - A rematch of the famous 2002 world cup which saw Senegal defeat France 1-0 in the first round of the tournament.

• Norway vs. Senegal - Featuring superstar Erling Haaland for Norway

And two more great matchups with world top 10’s:

• Ecuador vs. Germany (#9)

• Panama vs. England (#4)

Expect New York City and surrounding areas to be inundated with strong international demand for the entirety of the tournament.

#2 Dallas, US

Here’s the case for Dallas as the World Cup’s second biggest winner for the FIFA 2026 Group Stage:

Dallas receives the maximum number of group-stage games (five), and will host games featuring four teams currently in the FIFA top 10 world ranking: England (#4), Argentina (#2), Netherlands (#7), Croatia (#10).

Also, travel for fans from Japan, The Netherlands, England, Jordan, and Argentina is logistically convenient, with all countries having at least one direct flight to DFW Airport from their respective capitals.

Football fans will also be treated to two Argentina games featuring Lionel Messi in his last World cup final. Argentina vs. Austria and Jordan vs. Argentina are played a mere 5 days apart, meaning that many fans can (and will) stay through to catch both games. In the likely event that Argentina progresses deeper into the tournament, fans can stick around in Dallas and plan their next itinerary to see La Albiceleste play in the round of thirty two or beyond.

The DFW metroplex can also act as an easy hub to travel to other games; travelers from the Netherlands can easily see their remaining games in Houston and Kansas City by flying or driving, and Japanese travelers can catch the Tunisia vs. Japan game in Monterrey with a quick flight.

While there is still some uncertainty about who Japan’s opponent will be for the game hosted in Dallas on June 26th (possibilities: Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Albania), the five-game schedule is already arguably one of the strongest of any host city.

#3 Boston, US

Boston makes the top three for a few reasons, but its convenient location for guest countries like Scotland, Norway, England (#4) and France (#3) is a major factor for their inclusion toward the top of this list.

Expect the blockbuster matchup between Norway and France to be one of the most talked about in the group stage. France were the runner-up in the ‘22 World Cup, and Norway’s team includes the superstar Erling Haaland. This match comes late in the group stage as well, and may have do-or-die implications for one of the two Group I teams.

In addition, Boston will be part of a cluster of cities that will make for part of a logical travel itinerary for many international guests (Boston, Philadelphia, NYC)

Boston will also host England vs. Ghana on June 23rd which will also be a strong matchup when fans of the Three Lions squad cross the pond in numbers.

#4 Houston, US

Houston, a host of five group stage games, will have the good fortune of having superstar Cristiano Ronaldo lead Portugal onto the pitch twice in one week (matches on June 17th and June 23rd.)

In addition to the superstar appearance, Houston also hosts two more top-ten teams in Germany and The Netherlands. While there is still uncertainty as to exactly who the Dutch will face, it will be from the Playoff path B group featuring Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, or Albania.

Houston’s convenient location to Dallas, another strong host city, will allow guests to see Messi or Ronaldo on 4 separate occasions in the Lone Star State in a 10-day stretch!

#5 Miami, US

Miami receives four group stage games, with three falling on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday - typically a demand booster for major sports matchups. Interestingly, every single matchup in Miami features at least one South American nation, which is serendipitous considering Miami is one of the most convenient gateways to the US for travelers from South America. Miami hoteliers should expect a strong, sustained influx of travelers from this region during the group stage.

Miami will host world top 20 Uruguay twice, Brazil vs. Scotland, and a star-studded matchup featuring Colombia against a Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal side on June 27th, a game which very well may have win-or-go-home implications for either team.

#6 Guadalajara, MX

Guadalajara gets only four group stage games, but all appear to be strong demand drivers for Mexico’s second largest city.

There is still uncertainty surrounding the full matchup for two games. The game hosted on Wednesday June 11th will feature South Korea vs the Playoff path D winner (Denmark, Czech Republic, Ireland, or North Macedonia). The game hosted on Tue June 23rd will feature Colombia vs. the Playoff path 1 winner (DRC, Jamaica, or New Caledonia).

Although Guadalajara has no games that fall on a weekend day-of-week the city gets one Mexico home game (vs. South Korea on June 18th), a matchup featuring Colombia, and wraps up their group stage with a blockbuster matchup between Spain and Uruguay which will be a huge draw for domestic fans and international football fans alike.

#7 Atlanta, US

With five group stage games, Atlanta benefits from having the World number-one Spain team (featuring superstar Lamine Yamal) playing two times in just six days. While Spain's first matchup will be a David and Goliath affair vs. first-timer Cape Verde, the match should promise to be an intriguing storyline considering the latter country is in their first World cup, and is one of the smallest (population) countries to ever be featured in the tournament.

The match featuring Playoff Path D winner facing off against South Africa on June 18th may show promise depending on the opponent, but Morocco vs. Haiti on June 24th, and Playoff Path 1 Winner (DRC, Jamaica, New Caledonia) vs. Uzbekistan may prove to be softer matches for international inbound tourism.

#8 Mexico City, MX

Mexico City, despite only hosting three games, benefits greatly from two of those being Mexico home games, one of which is also on the opening day of the ceremony (Mexico vs. South Africa).

Colombia vs. Uzbekistan will likely bring in strong demand from the South American nation, and Mexico City’s final group-stage game on Tuesday 6/24 still features an unknown in the Playoff Path D winner (Denmark, Czech Republic, Ireland, North Macedonia), which would greatly influence the level of demand experienced for that match.

Unfortunately for the capital city, all 3 games fall in the midweek (Wednesday or Tuesday), and are all relatively spread out, meaning that keeping international guests around for extended periods may be more of a challenge, as no guest country plays more than once in the city for the group stage.

#9 Seattle, US

Seattle is firmly in the middle of the pack due to it only hosting four group stage games, none of which fall on a Saturday or Sunday.

Seattle will host a USA home game vs. Australia which will likely be the city’s highest-demand matchup, but other games of note include Qatar vs. the winner from the UEFA Playoff Path A (Italy, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Northern Ireland). Additionally fans of Liverpool’s Mo Saleh may be interested to see the Egyptian national play vs top-ten Belgium on Sunday June 16th, or vs. Iran on June 26th.

#10 Los Angeles, US

Los Angeles had a very hit-or-miss draw for the 26 FIFA World Cup. With five group stage games, the biggest positive for Los Angeles is by far the two USA home games the city hosts on June 12th (vs. Paraguay) and June 25th (vs. either Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo, or Romania).

The group draw sees the USA in what is widely considered a ‘winnable’ group D, meaning that the USA games on home soil will likely drive strong domestic demand, especially if the final game becomes a ‘must win’ and the host country is still not yet eliminated from contention.

A challenge for The City of Angels will be the two potentially-lower-demand games featuring Iran, a country that as of December 2025 the United States does not allow travel from. This will almost certainly dampen international demand for the two matches featuring the Middle Eastern nation on June 15th (Iran vs. New Zealand) and on June 21st (Belgium vs. Iran). Domestic fans of the United States should easily be able to fill SoFi Arena, but expect a smaller international impact for these games.

There may be additional upside when the Playoff Path A country is decided for the June 18th match vs. Switzerland, but for now Los Angeles is slightly lower-than-average based on their current matches.

#11 Vancouver, CA

Vancouver hosts two of three Canada home games which helps it edge out its co-host city Toronto on this list. Canada vs Qatar (June 18th) and especially Canada vs. Switzerland (June 24th) will likely be the games of most impact, but the Friday night game featuring Australia and Playoff Path C winner (Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo, Romania) may be a strong matchup as well. Vancouver will see one top-ten team in Belgium who play on June 26th vs. New Zealand.

#12 Philadelphia, US

Philadelphia receives five group stage games, three of which are on either a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Another positive for the city of brotherly love is that World top-ten teams Brazil and France will both grace the city over the span of just three days from June 19th to June 22nd, playing in two different matches. Philadelphia will finish the group stage with yet another World top-ten team Croatia playing Ghana on Friday June 27th.

#13 Toronto, CA

Toronto hosts five group stage games, with their two highlights being a Canada home game on Thursday June 12th, and Germany vs. Ivory Coast on Friday, June 20th.

One additional world top-ten sighting will occur with Panama vs. Croatia on June 23rd, but the overall strength of matchups inclines one to place Toronto in the bottom half of the pack when ranking host cities for demand-impact for the ‘26 World Cup.

#14 Kansas City, US

Kansas City hosts only four group stage games, and although they will see two world top-ten teams in Argentina and The Netherlands, those two games are against relatively weaker teams.

A chance to glimpse superstar Lionel Messi at the June 16th matchup between Argentina and Algeria will likely be the main draw for the entirety of Kansas City’s group stage.

A matchup between The Netherlands and Tunisia will likely be another decent match, but otherwise expect Kansas City’s matches to be on the softer side for international demand. That said, Kansas City is one of America’s biggest soccer-loving cities, so any shortfalls in international demand will likely be easily overshadowed by robust domestic demand from midwestern soccer fans.

#15 Monterrey, MX

The biggest drawback for Monterrey is the limited number of group games hosted (only three). One positive is that of the three games, two fall on weekend nights (Friday and Saturday). Games featuring Japan and South Korea are likely to be a highlight for Monterrey, but unfortunately the city won’t have a Mexico home game in the group stage.

#16 San Francisco, US

San Francisco receives the softest score for a few reasons - even though the Golden Gate city has the maximum five games, none of them feature powerhouse teams.

One small silver lining is the Switzerland vs. Qatar match, as fans from both countries are able to fly direct to SFO, but due to smaller fan bases (Switzerland and Qatar’s populations are both relatively small), the match up will likely have limited international demand. Expect those who do make the trek to be affluent guests, looking to turn the World Cup match into a longer, west-coast travel itinerary.

San Francisco also has no Saturday night games, and sees two smaller-market teams twice (Paraguay and Jordan). There remains additional uncertainty around the Playoff Path C opponent for the June 19th game. Additionally, San Francisco hosts no USA home games unlike its west-coast co-hosts Los Angeles and Seattle.

SF Hoteliers shouldn’t fret however, the World Cup will still be a major positive for the Bay Area, so even though this draw wasn’t a best-case scenario, existing strong demand in the Bay Area combined with the World Cup will make for a lucrative Summer season in 2026.

Every host city will see a demand lift- that's the nature of the World Cup. But for hoteliers in the top-ranked markets, the group stage draw just handed you a significant advantage. Start preparing your pricing strategy now, and reviewing market intelligence data to ensure that you don’t miss this once-in-a-generation revenue opportunity.

If you’re a hotelier who wants to know more about how the World Cup is sure to impact your market, consider trying Lighthouse’s Market Insight, which can help you track flight and hotel search demand, competitor pricing, and evolution of demand in your market.