Airbnb offers $750 bonus to new World Cup city hosts

Airbnb is offering a $750 incentive to attract first-time hosts in cities preparing to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as demand for accommodation continues to surge ahead of the tournament.

The company said new “entire home” hosts who complete their first guest stay before July 31 will qualify for the payout. Airbnb described the initiative as its largest-ever financial incentive aimed at recruiting new hosts, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

The program targets 16 host cities across North America, which will welcome millions of visitors when the tournament kicks off in mid-2026. The World Cup is set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Interest in the tournament is already extremely high. FIFA previously said it received more than 500 million ticket requests during a 33-day application period, highlighting massive global demand for the event.

The spike in visitor numbers is expected to drive accommodation prices higher. Travel analytics firm AirDNA reported that vacation rental prices on match days have risen by up to 50% compared with last year in some host cities.

Airbnb projects that hosts in high-demand markets such as the New York–New Jersey area, Boston, and Los Angeles could earn more than $5,000 each during the tournament period.

Beyond North America, most ticket applications came from football-heavy markets including Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, and Colombia, showing the global scale of expected travel flows.

The tournament could also help boost international travel to the United States, which saw inbound visitor demand fall by 5.4% through November 2025, according to official tourism data.

 

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada