Can the World Cup Boost South Florida Real Estate?

Landlords, hoteliers and developers across South Florida are betting on the FIFA World Cup to help them score a much-needed boost during what is typically the region’s slowest season.

Seven matches are scheduled at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and developers, retail and hospitality businesses across Miami-Dade and Broward counties are rolling out fan activations, marketing campaigns and special events aimed at capturing a projected $1.3 billion in spending and foot traffic from an estimated 700,000 visitors, plus locals.

“People are generally not coming here from another country and staying for 24 hours to watch the game and leave,” said retail broker Jon Rosen of JLL. “This will definitely provide an artificial boost throughout the summer because the games are scattered throughout June and July.”

Public officials have also committed significant resources to the event, including a package valued at up to $38.5 million from Miami-Dade County.

Here’s what brokers and developers are seeing:

Residential season extender

The excitement of the World Cup has stirred activity weeks ahead of the tournament’s official start, according to condo developers and residential agents. Developments have seen an uptick in foreign buyers, particularly from Latin America.

Developer and broker Edgardo Defortuna said his firm has several events planned at its sales centers, including at Cipriani Residences, the Mandarin Oriental Residences on Brickell Key and Ora by Casa Tua. “Everyone is planning something,” he said.

Mike Martirena of the Ivan & Mike Team at Compass said the World Cup is “another reason I didn’t leave for the summer.” His European clients are flying in because of the games and taking the opportunity to look at real estate.

Douglas Elliman agent Dina Goldentayer said last week that she had two showings for the waterfront estate at 255 Ocean Boulevard in Golden Beach, which is on the market for $79.5 million.

“The World Cup is extending our season,” she said.

Commercial wins out among World Cup cities

Some local hoteliers are reporting slower-than-expected activity, even though the Miami metro has emerged as one of the strongest-performing host markets, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Hotel Outlook.

AHLA surveyed hoteliers in Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. In Miami, 55 percent of respondents reported booking pace ahead of expectations and historic June and July performance.

That’s a stark contrast to the 80 percent of respondents in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle that reported booking pace below expectations behind a typical summer, and 85 percent to 90 percent of respondents in Kansas City that said bookings were trailing normal demand this time of the year.

Robert Finvarb, CEO of Robert Finvarb Companies, said his seven South Florida hotels are pacing 33 percent ahead of last year’s room nights and 50 percent ahead in revenue for the World Cup period. Average daily rates are about 15 percent higher than a year ago, a significant improvement compared to June 2025, which Finvarb said was “abysmal.”

Despite those gains, Finvarb said performance has yet to meet some of the lofty expectations that preceded the tournament.

He pointed to higher-profile matchups later in the competition, including Portugal versus Colombia, as well as the quarterfinal and third-place match, as potential demand drivers.

The compressed booking window is making it difficult to gauge the tournament’s impact before kickoff, he said.

“A lot of my competitors, I believe, are panicking because they’re not seeing the pickup in business, but a lot of that pickup may actually come in the week [of the first game],” said Finvarb.

Broward gets in on the action

And it’s not just Miami-Dade County betting on the FIFA effect.

A FIFA study projects that about 30 percent of visitors, or more than 210,000 people, are expected to stay in Broward County during the tournament.

Average daily hotel rates in Broward typically range from $145 to $155 during June and July but are expected to double during peak match periods, according to the marketing and tourism agency Visit Lauderdale. Two international teams will be housed at Fort Lauderdale hotels, one downtown and another along the 17th Street corridor.

Key corridors

On the retail side, downtown Miami’s Bayfront Park, where FIFA is slated to host an official fan festival, and Lincoln Road in Miami Beach are among the neighborhoods angling to be World Cup hubs. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is opening a pop-up “Concacaf House” at 536 Lincoln Road, featuring exhibits, games, merchandise and family-friendly programming.

More than 15 restaurants and cafes will host watch parties and launch World Cup-themed promotions.

Lincoln Road’s tenants include the official FIFA store, Pele Soccer and Culto Football, and sports apparel brands like Adidas and Nike. This will help boost those tenants’ sales, according to Anabel Llopis, executive director of the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District.

In Broward, Atlantic Village in Hallandale Beach is seeking to capitalize on soccer fans who want to avoid congestion in Miami-Dade.

Maggy Sutton, chief marketing officer at Atlantic Village developer Grupo Eco, said the mixed-use center is investing $18,000 on World Cup activations, while retail and restaurant tenants will contribute through promotions and watch parties, including one last week for the U.S. versus Paraguay match.

Sutton said Atlantic Village is particularly well-positioned to attract local soccer enthusiasts, which include Hallandale Beach’s large Latin American community.

Katherine Kallergis contributed to this story.