World Cup Reverses Slump in International Demand for Short-Term Rentals

The 2026 World Cup has boosted the international demand for short-term rentals (STRs) in North American host cities, reversing a long-running decline in foreign visitors.

After 13 consecutive months of year-over-year declines, international demand spiked 9.4% in June during the World Cup group stages, according to AirDNA, the leading provider of STR data and analytics.

That growth rate normalized in July, edging up just 0.7% year over year—although that's much improved from the 9.8% annual decline recorded in July 2025.

It’s been just about a month since Spain defeated defending champion Argentina 1-0 at MetLife Stadium on July 19. And since then, AirDNA says World Cup host cities saw strong gains in vacation rental revenue.

Across the 16 host cities, short-term rentals generated $1.33 billion in total revenue during the tournament window—$276.7 million more than the prior year, according to AirDNA data.

The global sports spectacle provided a massive shot in the arm for cross-border travel across North America, reversing a multimonth slump in international demand for vacation rentals, as detailed in AirDNA's new July 2026 U.S. Short-Term Rental Review.

“While soccer fans certainly led the way, giving World Cup host cities an enormous and enduring boost even as the games wrapped up, ADR was up almost everywhere, and by large amounts,” Bram Gallagher, director of economics and forecasting at AirDNA, said.

In the United States alone, revenue per available room (RevPAR) strengthened 7.2% year over year, average daily rates (ADR) boosted 6.9%, and occupancy grew 0.3% in July.

Cross-border demand from Canada rose 2.9% in June and 5.8% in July, but Canadian demand for U.S. vacation rentals remains well below the typical levels seen before backlash over President Donald Trump's tariffs.

“Although impressive numbers on their own, they reflect changes from significantly reduced levels compared to two years prior, before the [‘Liberation Day’] tariff announcements had been finalized,” Gallagher noted.

So while tourism from Canada has improved, it still faces a longer path to full recovery. When compared to figures from two years prior, July demand from Canada remained down 41.8%.

Although cross-border travel patterns remain sensitive to broader economic shifts, the World Cup has pushed the market in the right direction, helping drive a 2.6% year-over-year increase in available listings to reach 1.75 million in the U.S. in July.

This report comes just over a month after AirDNA released their 2026 Midyear Outlook, in which mortgage rates above 6% had been shown to drastically slow new investment in STRs.

However, AirDNA predicted that as inflation begins to ease and the energy shock gradually dissipates, a “healthier” 2027 will be on the horizon, leaving room for more prospective hosts to enter the field.