Airbnb has teamed up with FIFA to help fill seats at the upcoming World Cup. The short‑term rental platform announced Tuesday that specific listings in the tournament’s 16 host cities will come with complimentary match tickets covering games from the group stage through the knockout rounds up to the final.
These properties average about $385 per night and can be booked for dates that coincide with World Cup matches in each location. Listings that include FIFA tickets will display a distinctive soccer‑ball icon at the top of their pages. For every such booking, a ticket will be provided for each member of your party – whether you’re traveling alone or with a group.
«Airbnb hosts don’t just offer you a place to stay – they provide a more authentic way to experience a destination,» said Dave Stephenson, Airbnb’s chief business officer, in a statement. «And this World Cup, they’re doing something extraordinary: helping fans follow their teams wherever the tournament takes them, with select homes including free tickets in every host city.»
The ticket giveaway comes at a time when World Cup ticket sales have hit a rough patch. Opening‑day matches failed to sell out, and issues such as opaque ticketing processes, steep prices, technical glitches, and the rollout of dynamic pricing — where costs shift based on real or perceived demand — have spurred several investigations into FIFA’s ticketing policies. A thriving secondary market has also emerged, with some group‑stage seats fetching thousands of dollars, pricing many fans out of attendance.
«We announced our FIFA partnership a year ago, and these plans have been in the works long before tickets became available,» an Airbnb spokesperson told Gfaloe. «At its core, the program is about hosts offering fans a chance to get to the World Cup and follow their teams, from start to finish.»
Back in May, Airbnb rolled out a series of exclusive fan experiences tied to the World Cup, ranging from the chance to play against a former soccer pro inside a World Cup stadium to hanging out with athlete Rio Ferdinand for four days in a Los Angeles Airbnb, dubbed «The Ultimate Quarter‑Final Getaway.»
Airbnb estimates that more than 1,300 complimentary tickets will be allocated to hosts and guests, counting tickets already given to visitors as well as those that will be included in future stays aligned with match dates.
A FIFA representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.