Need a place to stay for Brazil or Colombia in World Cup? Miami rentals in demand

Short-term rental reservations in South Florida are surging ahead of the World Cup in a welcome development for homeowners looking for extra cash and a local tourism industry that has otherwise struggled with meeting lofty expectations for the tournament.

Three of four group stage games to be held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens are seeing significantly greater demand compared to the same dates a year ago. The number of nights that apartments or homes have been booked has significantly increased since the beginning of this year.

Highly anticipated matches — Brazil vs. Scotland and Colombia vs. Portugal — are feeding the demand for accommodations.

And rental fever is spreading across the metro area from the Venetian and Star islands in Miami Beach to Little Havana. Even Palm Beach County is cashing in.

That’s all according to data analytics firm AirDNA, which tracks short-term rental Airbnb and Vrbo bookings.

The FIFA 2026 World Cup, which this year is co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada, kicks off June 11 in Mexico City. The tournament’s 72 group stage matches, the most ever, are spread out over 16 host cities or metropolitan areas.

Miami, one of 11 U.S. host areas, holds four Group Stage games at Hard Rock Stadium, followed by three elimination games.

The biggest draw at the moment for short-term rentals is Colombia vs. Portugal on June 27. Total demand is 14,729 booked nights, 5837 in Fort Lauderdale and 8892 in Miami. That’s a 70% increase for Fort Lauderdale compared to the same dates in 2025. It’s a 106% boost for Miami. AirDNA provided the data, current as of May 25.

The average booked rate that night was $340 in Fort Lauderdale and $342 in Miami.

The Brazil-Scotland game on June 24 has produced 13,520 booked nights, 4,788 in Fort Lauderdale and 8,732 in Miami. That represents a 66% increase for the Broward city versus last year and a 130% jump for Miami. Overall, it also represents more than 9,000 bookings since early January.

Average booked rate for that night is $275 for Fort Lauderdale and $280 for Miami. The rates for that popular game haven’t increased drastically since the beginning of 2026, about five months ago.

In early January, data provided then by AirDNA showed average booked rate was $260 per night in Fort Lauderdale and $258 in Miami. That’s in part because South Florida already has a large supply of short-term rentals.

MORE: Can you still find a hotel room in Miami for the World Cup?

The region “is pretty well-stocked to handle events,” and “is well-positioned in terms of inventory,” Bram Gallagher, director of economics, said in an interview with the Miami Herald.

There’s still lots of availability. But Venetian/Star Islands, Pinewood, downtown Miami, North Beach, Little Havana and Miami Gardens show the most growth in bookings.

In Miami, the increase in the booked price the night of Brazil-Scotland compared to one year ago is only 43%, its peak increase for now for the entire tournament. Colombia-Portugal notches a 23% bump. Fort Lauderdale is worse with a 25% increase for the former and an 18% for the latter. The other five matches at Hard Rock show so far even smaller percentage growth in prices. Overall, this reflects that South Florida hasn’t been able to benefit by jacking up prices for short-term rentals for the tournament, Gallagher said.

There have been other changes, though, in the last several months.

In February, of all 72 group stage matches, the one that generated the most short-term rental demand was Brazil vs. Scotland, followed by Colombia vs. Portugal.

But now AirDNA data shows the most appealing match and three of the top five are being played at Los Angeles SoFi Stadium.

Top 5 matches overall in group stage based on bookings

1. Los Angeles host city; Paraguay vs USA; 15,639; June 12

2. Miami/Fort Lauderdale; Colombia vs Portugal; 14,729

3. Los Angeles; Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina; 13,670; June 18

4. Miami/Fort Lauderdale; Brazil vs Scotland; 13,520

5. Los Angeles; New Zealand vs Iran; 12, 172; June 15

Other group stage matches

In the two other group stage matches to be held at Hard Rock in Miami Gardens, Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia on June 15 is drawing 19% fewer booked nights than one year ago in Fort Lauderdale and 5% fewer in Miami. But Uruguay vs Cape Verde on June 21 is producing a 23% gain in Fort Lauderdale and a 40% improvement in Miami.

Overall, on all match nights and eves, the combined Miami-Fort Lauderdale area shows a 55% increase in booked nights compared to the same dates a year ago, according to aggregate Air DNA data, as of May 15. That ranks it sixth among all host cities but third among U.S. cities after fourth place Kansas City and third place Dallas/Fort Worth.

Guadalajara, Monterrey and, Mexico City, all in Mexico, occupy the first, second, and third spots.

Including all host cities, 1.72 million nights have been reserved for the group stage, a 25% increase from 2025.

Short-term rentals seem to be doing better than many of the large hotels, said AirDNA’s Gallagher.

The Herald reported earlier in May that hotel reservations have been disappointing and prices have fallen sharply compared to what they expected to charge. The overall cost of attending the tournament has also been a big deterrent.

Gallagher said that may benefit short-term rentals.

“It’s a very expensive World Cup,” he noted. “People are trying to save money.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 5:00 AM.