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.