MEXICO CITY: FIFA has released about 40% of the hotel rooms it had blocked in Mexico City for the FIFA World Cup 2026, the city’s hotel industry group said, returning roughly 800 rooms to general availability over the past month about three months before the tournament opens in the capital. The block totaled about 2,000 rooms held for several weeks as part of FIFA’s operational needs for the competition, which begins June 11 with the opening match at Mexico City Stadium.
Mexico City prepares for the 2026 World Cup as FIFA adjusts hotel room blocks. (AI-generated image)
Alberto Albarrán Leyva, director general of the Mexico City Hotel Association, said some properties that were otherwise sold out had large portions of the FIFA block removed, and he said he did not know the reason for the reduction. “There are fully booked hotels where FIFA has canceled 200 or 180 rooms,” he said. Albarrán added that, heading into the event, “there have been more cancellations than reservations,” a trend he said has led hotels to reopen rooms for sale to other buyers.
Albarrán said the rooms still set aside for World Cup-related demand represented about 30%, or roughly one-third, of the more than 63,000 hotel rooms available in Mexico City across about 800 hotels. The reported reduction from 2,000 rooms would leave about 1,200 still held for FIFA-related use. He said the broader metropolitan area adds about 14,000 additional rooms, and the association described its figures as inventory being held or tracked in connection with the tournament.
City officials respond
Mexico City’s Tourism Secretariat said in a March 4 statement that widely circulated accounts of large-scale hotel cancellations were imprecise and did not reflect the planning underway for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The agency said the capital has more than 63,000 hotel rooms and is prepared to receive visitors during the tournament. It added that room allotments are confirmed or released based on accreditations and agreements, and said it remains in coordination with FIFA’s Mexico organizing team, the host-city operation and the hotel sector.
Hotel association leaders have described the change as the return of provisional room blocks to the market. Javier Puente García, president of the Mexico City hotel association, said rooms were “unblocked” after contractual deadlines, including a February cutoff for deposits, and that this is standard in large events when space is held in advance and later adjusted. He said accommodations earmarked for national teams, international media and FIFA staff remain in place. Puente put the number of rooms released at about 1,300, compared with the 800 cited earlier by Albarrán.
World Cup dates in capital
FIFA’s match listings show Mexico City Stadium as the site of the tournament’s opening game on June 11, and the city is scheduled to host five matches in total. The schedule includes three group-stage games and two knockout matches, with dates running from June 11 through July 5. Local officials have said hotel blocks tied to tournament operations cover delegations and event personnel, while the wider lodging market also serves fans traveling for matches and related events across the capital.
Albarrán said hotels have relisted rooms that had been held under the FIFA block, including properties where hundreds of rooms were released at once. City officials and hotel representatives say Mexico City’s room supply, including inventory in the metropolitan area, can accommodate World Cup demand. Mexico City is hosting matches alongside Guadalajara and Monterrey as part of the 2026 tournament, and local organizers say accommodation planning continues with the hotel sector and FIFA’s local operation – By Content Syndication Services.