Going to North America '26: tickets, accommodations, etc. (non-politics)

Yes, unfortunately $200-300/night for a central hotel room in a major US city is very normal, even without the World Cup. It’s especially hard if you’re solo, since most rooms will accommodate at least 2+ people and there are very few cheap guesthouse or hostel options.

Definitely look at Airbnb (where legal) for things like renting a room in someone’s house. Still not cheap but maybe better than hotel options.

 

Will be awful in Canada as well but at least you're saving 35% or whatever up front on exchange rate compared to USD.

 

I am based in the UK but it’s the Germany games I am after: will skip Curaçao in Houston, but apply for FA tickets for games vs Ivory Coast (Toronto) and Ecuador (NY/NJ), and assuming they finish Group E first, R32 (Boston), R16 (Philly) and QF (Boston). So all games are on the East Coast, and all those cities have several daily flights to London. At more reasonable ticket prices I’d try to fill the days in between with other games, but not paying these prices to see teams I don’t really care about that much. So assuming for a second I get tickets to all these games, which I doubt, then why would I pay more to spend all this time in overpriced hotels if it’s cheaper just to fly back to London for a few nights in between? Comes down to simple maths, no?

 

In the two cities I am looking at (Atlanta and Philly), hotels near the airport aren't too bad, but near the public transport or the stadium is pretty pricey from what I have seen.

 

You can expand your search area by planning to take an Uber out to hotels in the more suburban areas. Ubers are (relatively) easy and affordable in the US, even for great distances. The only time you’d have a problem is immediately after the games. So just plan to kill a few hours afterwards watching the other games somewhere and then get your Uber. Philly has the Live complex across the street and Atlanta stadium is downtown with abundant options.

It’s not uncommon in the US for your Uber ride home to cost less than a single beer in the stadium

 

Thanks, but I am good. My whole plan is to stay nearby so happy to overpay a bit. I would rather do that than deal with the hell that will be getting picked up after the match by Uber and I'll have enough of dynamic pricing by then.

 

Solid strategy, I’m doing the same where possible. Always better to pay more for a better location, especially on a very short trip.

 

I agree, this is basically a continuation of my strategy of almost always staying near the central train station when traveling for football.

 

That is insanity.

 

No, I get you. I mean it's nuts that when you do the math, this is cheaper. That means hotel prices are through the roof. I guess we all knew this was coming though.

 

Another possibility would be to spend a few days outside of the big cities between games.

 

Questions for any german fans; will germany have a lot of supporters coming over for this world cup? Have tickets for the Germany - Ivory Coast match in toronto, and wondering if the germans will be filling the stands.

 

they will likely sell their supporters allocation, add few more but do not expect them to fill the stadium

 

Given the rather small capacity in Toronto and the fact that only 8% go the FA, I would sure hope that at least the German corner will be filled. Not sure about the neutral seats, but I do think you’ll have some German fans there too given people from Germany were, according to FIFA, ranked 5th or 6th in numbers of ticket purchasers in the first two rounds (if I remember correctly). So wouldn’t worry about it.

 

So for the group stage, outside of host matches. What are going to be the super high demand? Feel like the obvious ones are 19, 22, 33, 43, 49, 61, 66, 71

 

TL;DR: You should be able to find reasonably priced accomodation.

I don't fully endorse this option, but if you're seeking good "affordable" hotel options in city centers or nearby suburbs, consider researching corporate promo codes (reddit, etc.) for Marriott, Hilton, and other chains.

I previously worked for a large tech firm for a decade & travelled extensively for business. I still use the corporate code, and have gotten some absolute steals - like 50%+ off the public rate, and often the rates come with free cancellation until 24-72 hours beforehand. I now work remotely and travel for non-business, and usually prefer to stay in local boutique hotels, but sometimes still stay at chains for various reasons and have saved significantly.

Every time I use the corporate code abroad I get asked for proof (so I still carry my laminated business card), but I can't recall once getting asked in USA. And it's not difficult to acquire a legitimate looking business card to be safe. I'm genuinely not sure why I've never been asked here - could be standard hotel policy, or could be because I already have Status + hotel-specific credit card so they simply assume I'm a corporate business traveler.

For example: I'm interested in attending Colombia-Portugal in Miami, so I did a quick search for night of June 27.

• If I want to stay in Fort Lauderdale: Renaissance (above average Marriott brand) after taxes + fees is $166/night USD with my corporate code, but $609 without. This is a room with 2 queens, very close to FLL airport with large pool and near the ocean/beach.
• Or staying near Miami: Using the code I see 4 good options with after taxes + fees between $191-242 - just depends if you want near the airport vs beach vs shopping, free breakfast, whatever.

And this is for Miami, one of the more expensive cities. If someone has a particular date + city combination they are struggling to find a hotel for I'm curious to know. Every USA host city has an NFL team and major concerts/festivals/conferences, so are well supported with plentiful options.

Obviously $200/night isn't cheap compared to international hostels, but it's quite reasonable for a private room at a good hotel and especially if you can split it between 2 or more people. And ~$200 USD is generally what I found myself & friends paying in Manaus, Recife, Rio, Moscow, St Petersburg, and Doha for equivalent or worse options, before the inflation of recent years.

There are also some credit cards which give you instant status and/or good sign-up bonuses with hotel chains/airlines if you're based in a country that offers them. Only mentioning it because prior to Qatar, I had stopped traveling for work so had a lower Hotel status. I signed up for a Premium hotel credit card (~$500/year), but from Qatar/Middle East trip alone I probably got $1,500+ value via the 150k signup, free night certificate, airport lounge & free hotel breakfast/lounge for myself & friends, and other bonuses. Plus, I used these benefits for the next 11 months before canceling the card. Early check-in, late check-out, lounge access are nice perks when you're taking early/late flights. Also some of the cards come with car rental benefits.

Ticket prices on the other hand are a bit crazy at the moment (in my opinion). But:

• For 60% of the matches I think they'll be easily available under the current face value
• For 20% will be easily at the current face value, and if you wait you'll be able to know your exact seat location
• For the other 20% there are still multiple rounds to try and acquire at face from FIFA/Supporters, and I don't see a strong case for purchasing at current inflated prices even if you are 100% committed to attending the match.

 

I saw this. Can't confirm accuracy, but looked reasonable.

 

I am looking for Venezuela v Hungary tickets in Chicago if anyone has any? I can trade Saudi Arabia v Cape Verde in Houston.

That sounds like FIFA Collect statistics (RTTs), as the resale platform is closed, and those aren't near face value prices.

 

I just asked a friend about this who is lifetime marriot Titanium and travels a lot in both US and international (works for a big tech co), and said now always gets asked for corp ID in the US but never international. So who knows, it's a gamble if you can't prove it. There could be increased scrutiny on using corp codes in world cup cities around matches.

 

The stress of catching multiple international flights including US customs. I wouldn't fancy being pulled aside and asked why suddenly I was flying between London and the US for the 3rd time in a fortnight. Coming back through Heathrow or Gatwick isn't exactly fun and then there is travel to and from the airports. Also there is the value of the time wasted flying. Plus jetlag and the chance of something going wrong.

If you can save thousands then go for it, otherwise the value of being able to relax is greater IMO. I would consider a roadtrip between venues. Might see some interesting parts of the US that you otherwise wouldn't.

 

You're probably right. I do think that for the worst games - like the games in San Francisco Bay Area and a couple games in Atlanta - you could very well be lucky at Cat 4 ($60) or Cat 3 and be seated in what would normally be a Cat 2 seat in another stadium. TV shows mostly the lower levels of the stadiums so FIFA will not want empty seats there. The usual ratio of Cat 2, Cat 3 and Cat 4 seats might be reversed where the majority of seats will be Cat 3 and Cat 4

 

All fair points!

 

Those prices yikes.... Qatar really spoiled us

 

I added the FIFA rankings to your message.
In the mean time, San Francisco Bay Area gets:

• Qatar (51) vs Switzerland (17)
• Austria (24) vs Jordan (66)
• Turkey (25) vs Paraguay (39)
• Jordan (66) vs Algeria (35)
• Paraguay (39) vs Australia (26)

Anyone who bought a Levi's stadium VST must be in a lot of grief right now...

 

Ok as a colombian thats the game i want, AI said better chance is cat 2, but in my head i figured everyome will try and get cat 4 and 3, and it also scared me saying that my wife account has same adress so i should not use that one…can i apy on my account 2 for colombia - portugal cat 2
And then in hers for 2 cat 1? Or would that trigger some type of warning in fifa that there is 2 accounts same adress… also daughter different adress but not big limit on credit card.. could
She use my credit card in her account or will it be also
Flagged?