Mexico’s role as a host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup generated international attention and billions of dollars in economic activity, but the tourism surge widely predicted before the tournament failed to materialize.
New industry research suggests Mexico welcomed far fewer additional international visitors than government officials, football authorities and FIFA representatives had projected.
Before the tournament began, Mexican officials promoted the event as a major tourism catalyst, forecasting as many as 5.5 million additional visitors during the competition.
Those estimates were later revised downward. Research from consulting firm Deloitte and credit rating agency Moody’s suggested the number of incremental visitors could reach between 800,000 and 836,000 — already significantly below the original projections.
However, a new study from the National Business Council (CNET) and the Advanced Research Center for Sustainable Tourism Anáhuac Cancún (STARC) indicates the actual increase may have been much smaller, with Mexico receiving only around 175,000 additional international tourists linked to the World Cup.
CNET president Antonio Cosío questioned the initial government forecasts during a July 9 press conference. “We would have to ask the government where they got that data, but it was certainly too high,” he said.
Airport traffic declines during tournament month
Air travel demand reflected effectively the dreamed “FIFA boost”. Mexico City International Airport (AICM), the country’s main air gateway, handled 3.55 million passengers in June, the first month of World Cup matches. This represented a decline of 10% to 15% compared to June 2025 levels. The result marked the weakest June passenger performance at AICM in three years.
Industry analysts suggested some regular business travelers avoided Mexico City and other host locations because of concerns about congestion, higher prices and possible disruptions linked to match days.
Host city hotels see limited occupancy growth
Hotel performance also fell short of expectations, with occupancy rates below both World Cup forecasts and previous-year levels. Declines were reported across all three Mexican host cities.
In Mexico City, which staged five matches, hotel occupancy reached 56.5%, down 2% compared with June 2025. Guadalajara, host of four games, recorded occupancy of 56%, a 7% decline year over year. Monterrey, which also hosted four matches, reported occupancy of 53.5%, down 5.8% from the same month in 2025.
However, like for U.S. hotels, accommodation benefited from higher room prices despite lower occupancy. Bloomberg reported that properties increased revenues through rate increases ranging between 39.8% and 46.7% during the tournament period.
Economic impact still reaches billions
While tourism numbers disappointed, Mexico’s World Cup hosting generated however significant economic benefits.
The Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco Servytur) estimated the tournament contributed between $2.57 billion and $2.86 billion to the Mexican economy. And it also helped boosting the global image of Mexico, which will certainly be, according to Francisco Madrid, director of STARC, the tournament’s most valuable legacy.
Madrid argued that the global visibility Mexico gained through hosting one of the world’s largest sporting events could deliver longer-term benefits for tourism, especially after years of limited federal investment in international promotion. FIFA actually had only praises for the country in its capability to organize and warmly welcome travelers.
