Short-term rental operators across the United States and Canada benefited from a sharp increase in revenue during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to new analysis by KeyData. The report found that adjusted revenue per available rental (RevPAR) increased by around 24% year over year across all 13 tournament host markets between June 11 and July 19, with higher nightly rates accounting for most of the growth.
Kansas City emerged as the strongest performing market, recording the highest adjusted RevPAR growth at 51% compared with the same period in 2025. New York/Newark and San Francisco Bay followed, highlighting how both major gateways and smaller host cities benefited from increased demand generated by one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
The analysis from KeyData, a global short-term rental analytics company, compared performance across all 13 FIFA World Cup host markets in the United States and Canada during the tournament window with the equivalent period a year earlier. Markets were ranked using average daily rate (ADR), adjusted paid occupancy and adjusted RevPAR to determine which destinations performed best.
The findings suggest that pricing, rather than occupancy, was the primary driver of stronger financial performance. Across all host cities, average daily rates increased by around 20% year over year, while adjusted paid occupancy rose by around 3%. The figures indicate that property managers were generally able to charge higher nightly rates without relying on significantly higher booking volumes.
Kansas City stood out because it achieved gains in both pricing and occupancy. Average daily rates increased by 42%, while adjusted paid occupancy rose by 6%, making it the only host market to post significant improvements across both indicators. That combination resulted in the strongest overall revenue growth during the tournament.
New York/Newark ranked second with adjusted RevPAR increasing by 40%. The market also recorded the largest improvement in adjusted paid occupancy among all host cities, rising by 17%, while average daily rates increased by 19%.
San Francisco Bay completed the top three with adjusted RevPAR growth of 33%. Unlike New York, its performance was driven almost entirely by higher room pricing, with average daily rates also climbing by 33% while occupancy remained broadly unchanged.
Several other host cities also demonstrated strong pricing power during the tournament. Philadelphia recorded a 36% increase in average daily rates, while Boston posted a 30% rise. In both markets, higher prices contributed more to revenue growth than increases in occupancy, suggesting visitors accepted higher accommodation costs during the event.
The report also found that visitors generally booked shorter stays during the tournament. Average length of stay declined by around 3% across host cities, with more pronounced reductions in Miami, where stays fell by 14%, New York/Newark, down 13%, and Philadelphia, down 11%.
According to the analysis, these shorter visits indicate that many football fans travelled specifically to attend individual matches before returning home, rather than extending their trips into longer holidays.
Vancouver was a notable exception to the broader trend. While nightly rates remained largely unchanged from the previous year, the city experienced an 18% increase in average length of stay, the largest improvement among all host markets. The findings suggest Vancouver’s performance was supported by visitors spending more nights in the destination instead of paying substantially higher accommodation prices.
| World Cup 2026: Short-Term Rental Performance by Host City | ||||||
| Tournament period, June 11 – July 19, 2026, compared with the same dates in 2025. Markets are ranked by year-over-year adjusted paid occupancy and adjusted RevPAR growth. Source: KeyData. | ||||||
| Rank | Host City | ADR 2026 | ADR YoY | Adjusted Paid Occupancy 2026 | Adjusted Paid Occupancy YoY | Adjusted RevPAR YoY |
| 1 | Kansas City, MO | $250 | +42% | 59% | +6% | +51% |
| 2 | New York / Newark, NJ | $353 | +19% | 58% | +17% | +40% |
| 3 | San Francisco Bay, CA | $453 | +33% | 54% | 0% | +33% |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | $247 | +36% | 65% | -3% | +32% |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $305 | +30% | 62% | 0% | +29% |
| 6 | Atlanta, GA | $218 | +12% | 52% | +10% | +23% |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA | $534 | +19% | 60% | +2% | +22% |
| 8 | Houston, TX | $227 | +14% | 49% | +7% | +21% |
| 9 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | $254 | +20% | 57% | -2% | +18% |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $221 | +16% | 61% | 0% | +16% |
| 11 | Toronto, CAN | $185 | +12% | 60% | 0% | +12% |
| 12 | Seattle, WA | $318 | +15% | 64% | -4% | +10% |
| 13 | Vancouver, CAN | $220 | -1% | 55% | +3% | +1% |
| Adjusted Paid Occupancy and Adjusted RevPAR are shown using KeyData’s adjusted figures, which exclude owner-blocked nights and reflect only inventory that was genuinely available to book. ADR represents the average base nightly rate paid, excluding fees. RevPAR, or revenue per available rental, combines pricing and occupancy to provide an overall measure of market performance. | ||||||
The report highlights how major international sporting events can produce different outcomes depending on local market conditions and pricing strategies. While demand increased across nearly every World Cup host city, the strongest financial results were not necessarily achieved by the largest tourism markets.
Sally Henry, VP of Market Intelligence and Insights at KeyData, said: “The 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered a real lift for professionally managed vacation rentals, but the results tell a more interesting story than a simple demand surge. The cities that performed best weren’t always the largest markets. Kansas City outgrew both New York and Los Angeles because operators there priced into the demand rather than just filling more nights.
“That’s the lesson worth taking forward. Occupancy alone doesn’t win these events; the operators who read the demand early and hold their pricing discipline are the ones who come out ahead. With more major events heading to North America over the next few years, the markets that treat this as a playbook rather than a one-off will be best placed to benefit.”
The findings may offer valuable guidance for short-term rental operators preparing for future international sporting events across North America. Rather than relying solely on higher occupancy, the report suggests that careful revenue management and disciplined pricing strategies can deliver stronger financial returns when demand surges around major global events.
