The 2026 FIFA World Cup let Los Angeles hotels charge more, but it brought them almost no additional guests, and most hotels cut staff instead of hiring, according to a report from a research project of the Hotel Association of Los Angeles.
The report was released in September by the Hospitality Education and Research Organization of Los Angeles, known as HERO LA. It found that occupancy at hotels in the city of Los Angeles rose 1% from 2025 during the tournament and stayed about 5% below 2024 levels. According to CoStar data cited in the report, other major Los Angeles events since 2023 raised occupancy by 7% to 25%. Those events include the College Football Playoff National Championship, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.
The average daily room rate during the tournament was $228, the highest of six major LA events the report compared. Occupancy was 71%, the second lowest of the six. Only the 2023 College Football Playoff championship was lower.
In downtown Los Angeles, June occupancy reached 66.4%. That was down nearly 6% from 70.6% in June 2024. Demand in downtown and the airport corridor fell 10% to 12% from 2024. The report uses 2024 as its benchmark because federal immigration enforcement raids, a National Guard deployment and related unrest reduced downtown tourism in summer 2025.
The survey went to 210 hotels in the city between July 23 and Aug. 7. Fifty-eight hotels answered at least one question and 47 completed it. Of those responding:
- 72% said the World Cup hurt their 2026 finances.
- 48% called the financial impact "extremely negative."
- 76% reported minimal World Cup-related bookings.
- 2% said the event met projections.
According to the report, FIFA canceled thousands of downtown room nights shortly before the matches began. Among hotels holding room blocks, 56% saw at least half released, and fewer than a third replaced them with comparable bookings. Group demand in Los Angeles slipped 0.7% in June and July. In Chicago, which did not host matches, group demand rose 10.7%.
Workers absorbed much of the shortfall. Of responding hotels, 82% cut seasonal staffing, 74% reduced overtime and 64% reduced employee shifts. UNITE HERE Local 11 represents 28,000 hotel workers in Southern California. The report says the union found that nearly 20% of its Los Angeles members had their hours cut over the past year because of declining tourism.
Short-term rentals fared better. Airbnb was the tournament's official fan accommodation and offered new hosts $750 to list their homes. According to AirDNA data cited in the report, short-term rental listings in the city rose 10% from 2025 during the World Cup. Ahead of the July 10 quarterfinal, Airbnb reported a 63% week-over-week jump in searches for Los Angeles stays. The United Kingdom, Mexico and Canada were among the top international origins, and San Diego was the most-searched destination after Los Angeles.
Short-term rental revenue rose 20.7% in July compared with July 2024, while hotel revenue fell 3.3%. Six in 10 hoteliers said they expect short-term rental growth to hurt bookings and rates during the 2028 Olympics. The report urged the city to scrutinize both Olympic demand projections and short-term rental policy.
Before the tournament, the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee hired consulting firm Micronomics. In a June 2024 report, the firm projected $594 million in economic impact for Los Angeles County, including $343 million in direct visitor spending and $34.9 million in county tax revenue. A January 2026 update raised the estimate to $892 million, with $515 million in direct spending and $50 million in county taxes. The update cited "refined" assumptions about visitor behavior. The projections were commissioned by the event's organizers and were not independently reviewed.