Austin scores World Cup bump
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Fans watch the round 16 match between USA and Belgium at Austin's Armadillo Den on July 6. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Austin didn't host a single World Cup match, but the tournament still appears to have brought more visitors and spending to the city.
Why it matters: The World Cup offered a test for whether cities outside the host lineup could capitalize on one of the world's biggest sporting events.
- In Texas, Houston hosted seven matches over three weeks, while Arlington hosted nine matches in June and July. Austin, meanwhile, served as the base camp for Saudi Arabia's national team, which trained in the city between matches.
State of play: Downtown foot traffic, hotel demand and at least one of Austin's busiest soccer bars all saw a bump during the tournament in Austin.
What they're saying: Luke Goebel, economic development research manager of the Downtown Austin Alliance, says the summer typically sees a decline in out-of-town visitor traffic downtown. This year, World Cup weeks bucked that trend.
- "While it's still early to fully understand the long-term impact of the World Cup, the initial data suggests the event provided a meaningful boost to downtown," Goebel tells Axios.
By the numbers: The average daily out-of-market visitor foot traffic count downtown rose to 140,660 during the tournament, from 129,209 during the same period in 2025 — a 9% year-over-year increase, according to cell phone data analyzed by Downtown Austin Alliance.
- The increase wasn't limited to downtown sidewalks. The city's tourism bureau Visit Austin tracked an 11% year-over-year increase in citywide hotel occupancy and a 20% increase in hotel revenue between June 11-30, per data provided exclusively to Axios.
Between the lines: Visit Austin says the increase in hotel stays and air travel likely reflected a combination of World Cup-related visitors and broader summer travel demand.
- The airport logged its busiest month ever in June, with over 2.1 million departing and arriving passengers.
Case in point: England fans were effusive on social media about their side trips to Central Texas. (England started the tournament in Dallas.)
- One England fan raved about kayaking on Lady Bird Lake, Taco Deli tacos, Casino El Camino burgers and Sixth Street nightlife.
Zoom in: Haymaker, one of the city's go-to soccer bars, saw a jump in customers and revenue during the tournament, according to owner Keith Sandel.
- Sandel says Haymaker has hired door staff for major U.S. World Cup matches ever since its first tournament in 2010, when the opening U.S. game packed the bar so tightly that the Fire Department temporarily shut the bar down.
- This time around, Sandel hired door staff for the U.S. matches, two Mexico games and the final to manage crowds.
- The North American schedule helped fuel turnout because matches aired during normal business hours, rather than early-morning starts common when the tournament is held overseas.
The bottom line: "It was a very nice boost in revenue," Sandel says.