As the World Cup knockout rounds take shape, fans aren’t just following their teams, they’re following the bracket.
New KAYAK flight search data shows that as soon as knockout rounds determine the next matchup, travelers rush to search. Flight searches for the next host city can spike overnight, sometimes more than doubling. Search behavior appears to shift from city to city as the tournament progresses, with each round bringing a new destination into focus.
Here’s how flight search interest has shifted through the knockout rounds so far.
As teams advance, fans shift their travel plans to the round of 16 host cities.
One of the biggest shifts came after the round of 32. As teams advanced, fans quickly turned their attention to the cities hosting the round of 16, sending flight searches upward. Here’s what we saw:
- Houston saw one of the earliest and biggest increases. Flight searches jumped 100% day over day after Canada advanced past South Africa, then climbed another 60% the following day after Morocco defeated the Netherlands.
- Mexico City saw flight searches increase 50% after Mexico advanced past Ecuador, before rising another 180% the following day after England defeated DR Congo.
- Seattle saw flight searches rise 125% after Belgium and the U.S. advanced to the Round of 16.
- Philadelphia experienced back-to-back gains, with flight searches rising 66% after Paraguay advanced over Germany, followed by another 40% the following day after France defeated Sweden.
- New York/New Jersey recorded a 75% increase in flight searches after Norway advanced.
- Atlanta saw flight searches increase 55% day over day after Argentina and Egypt advanced to the Round of 16, then rose another 35% the following day as interest continued to build.
- Vancouver saw flight searches jump 15% day over day after Switzerland advanced past Algeria, then climbed another 95% the following day after Colombia defeated Ghana to secure its place in the Round of 16.
- Dallas experienced a 40% increase after Spain and Portugal secured their places in the Round of 16.
Taken together, these results suggest that once the bracket becomes clearer, flight search interest quickly shifts to the next host city.
Quarterfinal matchups drive even bigger search increases.
As the field narrowed, search interest became more concentrated. Fewer host cities saw increases, but the jumps became even larger as quarterfinal matchups came into focus.
- Boston saw flight searches increase 45% after France and Morocco advanced to the quarterfinals, followed by another 20% increase the next day as the quarterfinal bracket became clearer.
- Miami recorded the largest jump in the dataset so far. Flight searches jumped 200% day over day after Norway defeated Brazil and England advanced past Mexico to reach the quarterfinals.
Largest increases in flight search interest so far.
Through the round of 16, several host cities have stood out for the size of their flight search increases:
- Miami: +200%
- Mexico City: +180%
- Seattle: +125%
- Houston: +100%, followed by another +60% increase
- New York/New Jersey: +75%
As additional knockout rounds are played, KAYAK will continue tracking how flight search interest shifts across the remaining host cities.
For additional insights on World Cup travel, check out KAYAK’s World Cup Trends Dashboard.
Methodology
Based on daily global flight searches to World Cup host cities made on KAYAK and associated brands in the days leading up to and immediately following match days. Percent changes are approximate.
