1 in 6 Americans Planning Road Trips for 2026 FIFA World Cup

Influx of drivers to U.S. host cities will spike parking demand and test city infrastructure

ATLANTA, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With one year until North America hosts the FIFA 2026 World Cup, new survey data from ParkMobile part of Arrive reveals more than 1 in 6 Americans (18%) are planning road trips to U.S. host cities. Among those planning to attend matches or related events, 70% say they will require paid parking during the tournament. 

Three in four expected World Cup travelers say that ease of mobility within U.S. host cities will shape their overall impression of the visit, highlighting the need for strong parking and transportation infrastructure, along with mobility policies that can effectively meet increased demand.

"Next summer's World Cup will be a landmark moment for mobility across North America, with the classic American road trip taking center stage," said Andrew Harman, Head of Global Product Line Sales - Off Street & Insights for Arrive, parent company to ParkMobile. "For host cities, this is an opportunity to demonstrate their readiness on the global stage. Visitors will be closely watching how easily they can move through each city. As a key part of the mobility ecosystem in many of these locations, ParkMobile is committed to helping cities deliver a seamless parking and navigation experience during this historic event."

Among modes of travel to next summer's World Cup host cities, Americans overwhelmingly prefer traveling by car (47%), followed by plane (30%), train (3%), and bus (2%). 

ParkMobile's survey reveals key insights into how World Cup host cities can better prepare to meet the needs of both visitors and residents during next summer's tournament, which kicks off across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico on June 11, 2026, and concludes on July 19, 2026.

• Among expected American attendees of World Cup events hosted in U.S. host cities, 40% rank price of parking as their top concern when parking for professional sporting events, followed by time spent looking for parking (21%), and safety and security of parking location (19%).            
• Despite price of parking being a top concern for World Cup event attendees, 85% say they would be willing to pay more for event parking if they were able to reserve their choice of off-street parking (i.e., parking lot or garage) ahead of time.          
• Attendees from outside a host city report an outsized willingness to invest in a convenient World Cup parking experience, with 87% willing to pay more for reserved off-street parking compared to 80% of locals. 

"In the year ahead, cities have a key opportunity to improve the parking experience for drivers by digitizing solutions, expanding off-street inventory, enabling reservations, and reinforcing safety around high-demand areas," said Harman. "With tools like off-street reservations and parking inventory analysis through ParkMobile Insights, we're proud to help cities deliver a world-class mobility experience during next summer's World Cup."

Overall, new ParkMobile data shows 76% of American adults consider ease of parking a factor in deciding whether to attend an event or not. Meanwhile, 56% of Americans say the ability to reserve parking ahead of time would significantly increase their likelihood of attending a major event.

When attending major events like professional sports matches, concerts and festivals, and business expos, Americans say they prefer driving and parking (64%), followed by rideshare (17%), public transportation (12%), and walking, cycling, and scootering (7%). 

Methodology

In partnership with Pollfish, ParkMobile conducted two consumer surveys in June 2025 via online panels. Respondents were composed of a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults aged 18 to 64. For the first survey focused on general mobility preferences, 1,000 respondents were asked 13 multiple-choice questions. For the second survey, 1,000 respondents answered 6 multiple-choice questions about their mobility preferences pertaining specifically to the World Cup 2026.

CONTACT: 

Haley Haas
Group PR Manager, North America
678-446-0148
[email protected] 

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SOURCE ParkMobile