the sport

fifa world cup 2026

We studied travel habits surrounding the World Cup to understand how one of the world’s biggest sporting events influences when, where, and how people travel. These insights help reveal whether the World Cup changes typical travel habits and how travellers plan around a once-in-a-generation event.

Which host cities attracted the most travellers?

Between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada

City vs. last year vs own normal
Toronto +18% +7%
Vancouver +34% +23%
New York / New Jersey +24% +34%
Miami +7% -22%
Boston +78% +41%
Mexico City +40% -3%
Kansas City +165% +74%
Monterrey +69% +68%

Some Cities Aren’t Just Growing, They’re Breaking From the Norm.

The strongest growth is coming from cities that are moving well beyond their usual travel patterns. Kansas City stands out, up 165% year over year and 74% above its own normal, while Boston and Monterrey are also showing significant momentum. Vancouver and New York/New Jersey are seeing meaningful gains on both measures. Miami and Mexico City tell a different story: both are up from last year, but remain below their typical levels, suggesting their growth is more of a recovery than a true surge.

[ What about arrivals? ]

Arrivals didn’t spike on match days.

Travel built up steadily through the tournament rather than spiking around individual matches.

Where did Canadians travel from to attend matches?

Share of Canadian World Cup travellers by home city: Toronto 19%, Calgary 11%, Edmonton 11%, Vancouver 8%, Winnipeg 7%.

Toronto and Vancouver captured over one quarter of booking data, 19% and 8% respectively.

Canadian World Cup travel was overwhelmingly domestic.

Which international markets travelled into host cities?

Leading
India Philippines China

India, Philippines, China

Dropping
Iran Egypt United Arab Emirates

Iran, Egypt, UAE

India, the Philippines, and China were the biggest non-North-American sources into host cities, consistent with FlightHub’s usual customer base rather than World-Cup-specific demand.

Who booked more?

United States

49.9%

U.S.-origin travellers

Canada

28.7%

Canadian-origin travellers

U.S. travellers booked flights to host cities nearly 2× as often.

Who waited longer to book?

U.S.

16 days

Before departure

Canada

22 days

Before departure

Americans booked closer to kickoff.

Did World Cup hype make people book earlier?

Average booking window: World Cup travel 23 days ahead versus normal travel 21 days ahead.

Despite the hype, travellers booked only 2 days earlier than usual.