Football fan or not, travel to the US during the 2026 Men’s World Cup is getting cheaper by the day. One month ahead of the Fifa tournament – which is also being hosted by Canada and Mexico – The Independent has found air fares at well below normal summer levels. Hotel rates are sinking, too.
The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026. Both England and Scotland have qualified.
The Independent has been tracking specific air fares for football fans since the draw was announced in December. One is an open-jaw itinerary outbound on 16 June from Newcastle to Dallas – location for the first England game – and returning from New York on 27 June, the day after the last group match for the team.
The fare has fallen from above £1,000 to £945. This deal is on British Airways outbound via Heathrow and New York JFK (with the onward flight to Dallas on American Airlines), returning on BA from Newark via Heathrow.
Flying via Dublin is even cheaper. Ireland failed to qualify for the World Cup, so demand is weaker. Connecting in the Irish capital has the added advantage of pre-clearing passengers through US border formalities before the transatlantic flight.
A nonstop flight for the same dates outbound to Dallas on American Airlines, returning on Aer Lingus from Newark, costs £645 – down from over £800 when fares were checked a month ago.
Ryanair has suitable return flights from Birmingham to Dublin for £35 (down from £43), though these are not guaranteed connections. Similar fares are available from other British airports.
Hotel rates are dropping as the tournament approaches. The American Hotel and & Lodging Association last week released a report saying hopes for a bumper summer had not materialised.
The Independent has been tracking New York accommodation on the night of 27 June, when England play Panama. The cost of a double room at the Holiday Inn Express in midtown Manhattan has fallen by 13 per cent to $513 (£377) for that night. At the YMCA in Manhattan, the price for a standard single room with a shared bathroom has dropped one-fifth for the same night, and is now $274 (£201).
Travellers who have no interest in the football tournament can benefit from soft demand that has been attributed to tougher border controls and geopolitical uncertainty.
Flying from London to Los Angeles on 11 June, the day the first game is played in Mexico, and returning on 30 June after the group stage is over, return fares of £515 are readily available on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Normally fares to southern California on nonstop flights with quality airlines would be around £700-£800 return in June.
In July, Norse Atlantic has Gatwick-New York JFK nonstops for £478 return.
Fares from Manchester are higher now that Aer Lingus has abandoned transatlantic flights to New York and Orlando from the city.
Read more: Great World Cup road trips for England and Scotland football fans
