Vancouver Airbnb hosts averaged $4,500 during World Cup, company says

Airbnb says Vancouver hosts earned an average of $4,500 during the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup, which ran from June 11 to July 19. Vancouver hosted seven matches, while Toronto hosted six; Airbnb said Vancouver hosts earned 32 per cent more than Toronto hosts, whose average was $3,400.

The company reported a 24 per cent year-over-year increase in new active listings in Vancouver during the tournament, with average bookings costing less than $340 a night. First-time Airbnb users accounted for 15 per cent of bookings, it said. Airbnb also said about one in five guests who booked in either Canadian host city booked another stay elsewhere in Canada.

Residents in both cities need a licence to operate an Airbnb. City of Vancouver says it received 1,438 short-term-rental business licence applications between Jan. 1 and June 7, compared with 546 in the same period of 2025. It had 3,809 active licences in June, up 34 per cent from 2,842 a year earlier.

The city has not yet released its review of the costs, revenues and economic benefits of hosting the seven games, saying earlier it expects to do so in spring 2027. The gross hosting cost was most recently estimated at $685 million to $729 million, with Vancouver’s share estimated at $320 million to $338 million.