World Cup host-city rental nights sold rose 298% after the December 2025 schedule

On December 18, 2025, short-term rental analytics company Key Data reported that nights sold for stays during the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament period had risen 298% year over year across all host cities. The analysis, which examined booking activity following the release of the official match schedule on December 5, 2025, showed that demand for stays during the tournament period of June 11 to July 19, 2026, was pacing far ahead of the previous year in several markets, while other markets lagged.

The initial surge in bookings occurred immediately after the schedule release, with host cities collectively posting significant gains in both reservation volume and nightly rates. This early activity highlighted how quickly travellers reacted to the announcement, locking in accommodations more than six months before the tournament was scheduled to begin.

What the data shows

The performance metrics for short-term rentals during the World Cup event period, which spanned from June 11 to July 19, 2026, showed substantial growth on average across all 16 host cities. According to Key Data, nights sold rose 298% year over year, while revenue per property rose 533% year over year. The average daily rate across all host cities rose 63% year over year, and paid occupancy rose 274% year over year.

Behind these broad averages lay wide variations among individual host cities. Several markets experienced exceptionally strong demand for stays during the tournament period. Guadalajara led the growth, with reservations per property rising 1,989% year over year. Greater Boston followed closely, with reservations per property rising 1,954% year over year. Other high-performing markets included Kansas City, where reservations per property rose 1,271% year over year, and Greater Philadelphia, which saw reservations per property rise 743% year over year. Greater Atlanta also recorded strong pacing, with reservations per property rising 513% year over year.

Pricing power during the tournament period was also unevenly distributed. Kansas City stood out with an average daily rate increase of 167% year over year for stays during the event. In contrast, some major metropolitan areas did not experience the same level of tournament-period demand. Greater Los Angeles recorded a 10% year-over-year decline in reservations per property for the event period. The San Francisco Bay Area posted flat reservation growth, even though its average daily rate rose 134% year over year. In the Vancouver Area, reservations per property fell 11% year over year, though revenue per property rose 164% year over year, indicating that a smaller number of bookings at much higher rates drove the revenue gains.

Immediate booking impact

The release of the match schedule on December 5, 2025, had an immediate effect on booking behavior during the week of December 1 to December 7, 2025. Key Data found that host cities collectively posted an average 29% year-over-year increase in net reservations per property during this single week compared with the same week in 2024. Average daily rates rose 25% across all markets during this booking week, with 13 of the 16 host cities commanding higher rates than they did during the same period in the previous year.

Several individual markets responded with immediate spikes in booking activity during the week of December 1 to December 7, 2025. Kansas City recorded a rise of 82% in net reservations per property, while Greater Philadelphia saw a rise of 80%. Greater Boston posted a rise of 78% in net reservations per property, and Guadalajara recorded a rise of 70% during the same week. Greater Boston also showed a significant pricing response during this booking week, with average daily rates rising 102% year over year.

Other markets experienced a much weaker immediate response during the week following the schedule release. The San Francisco Bay Area recorded a 31% year-over-year decline in net reservations per property during that booking week, despite average daily rates rising 27%. Monterrey saw flat reservations during the week, accompanied by a 49% decline in average daily rates, indicating a cautious approach from both travellers and hosts in that market immediately after the match schedule became public.

How it was measured

The figures were produced by Key Data, a performance analytics and benchmarking platform for the short-term rental industry. Key Data sourced its insights directly from reservations across more than 500 global markets. The platform combines direct property management system data with online travel agency data to track performance metrics. The analysis utilized more than 45 forward-looking key performance indicators to assess market behavior.

The data reflected two distinct timeframes. The first timeframe measured immediate booking activity during the week of December 1 to December 7, 2025, comparing it with the same week in 2024 to capture the immediate impact of the match schedule release on December 5, 2025. The second timeframe measured year-over-year pacing for stays booked for the actual tournament period, which was scheduled for June 11 to July 19, 2026, comparing those bookings with the pacing for the equivalent period in the prior year.

Uneven demand drivers

The sharp shifts in demand across host cities were driven by several local market factors. According to Key Data, the differences in booking behavior were shaped by match schedules, local accommodation supply, and traveller perceptions of each destination. The timing and location of specific matches, particularly those expected to feature high-profile games, influenced where travellers chose to lock in their accommodations early.

Local accommodation supply played a critical role in pricing and booking velocity. In mid-sized host cities like Kansas City, where the supply of traditional hotel rooms is more limited than in larger metropolitan areas, travellers faced intense competition for places to stay. This supply constraint contributed to the rise of 1,271% in tournament-period reservations per property and the rise of 167% in average daily rates in Kansas City. In contrast, larger metropolitan areas with vast hotel inventories, such as Greater Los Angeles, saw reservations per property fall 10% year over year, as the existing lodging supply was better equipped to absorb early demand without triggering an immediate rush to short-term rentals.

Impact on hosts and managers

The data revealed how different pricing strategies affected property performance across various markets. In some cities, hosts and property managers moved quickly to raise rates, which had varying effects on reservation volumes. In Greater Boston, hosts successfully raised average daily rates by 102% during the booking week of December 1 to December 7, 2025, while still achieving a 78% rise in net reservations per property, demonstrating strong pricing power and high traveler interest.

In other markets, aggressive pricing appeared to suppress demand. In the San Francisco Bay Area, average daily rates during the booking week rose 27%, but net reservations per property fell 31% year over year. For the tournament period itself, San Francisco hosts raised average daily rates by 134%, which resulted in flat reservation growth. This suggests that high prices may have deterred some travellers from booking early in that market. Meanwhile, in the Vancouver Area, property managers achieved a rise of 164% in revenue per property despite an 11% decline in reservations per property, showing that a strategy of securing fewer bookings at significantly higher rates could still yield substantial revenue gains.

Conversely, some markets saw hosts lower their expectations to attract bookings. In Monterrey, average daily rates during the booking week fell 49% year over year, while reservations remained flat. This indicated that hosts in Monterrey had to discount their properties significantly compared with the previous year just to maintain steady booking levels immediately after the match schedule was announced.

What the data did not disclose

While the Key Data report provided detailed percentage changes, it did not publish the absolute numbers behind these growth rates. The analysis did not state the actual number of properties or listings active in each host city, nor did it disclose the specific dollar amounts for average daily rates or revenue per property. Consequently, a rise of 1,989% in reservations in Guadalajara or a rise of 1,954% in Greater Boston does not reveal how many total bookings were actually secured in those markets.

Additionally, the data did not break down performance by property size, location within the host cities, or proximity to the tournament stadiums. It did not distinguish between individual hosts and professional property managers, nor did it account for potential cancellations that might occur between December 2025 and the start of the tournament in June 2026. Finally, the report did not factor in the impact of local short-term rental regulations, which could change in several host cities before the event began, potentially affecting the active supply of listings.

What to take from it

Property managers and investors looking at major event-driven demand should draw several lessons from how these booking patterns developed in December 2025.

• Compare local hotel inventory with short-term rental supply to gauge pricing power; limited hotel capacity in mid-sized markets drives much higher early booking rates and ADR increases.
• Monitor the immediate aftermath of major schedule announcements, as traveller booking activity can spike by an average of 29% within a single week, requiring rapid pricing adjustments.
• Avoid raising rates blindly based on event hype; as seen in San Francisco, a 134% increase in ADR can lead to flat reservation growth if the market does not support the premium.
• Evaluate whether a high-rate, low-occupancy strategy is more profitable than a high-occupancy strategy, as demonstrated in Vancouver where revenue per property rose 164% despite an 11% drop in reservations.