Customers are not afraid to spend money to watch the World Cup
The 2026 World Cup tournament takes place from June 11 to July 19 in 16 cities in three North American countries (USA, Mexico and Canada), with a scale of 48 teams and a total of 104 matches.
At a travel agency in Hanoi, Mr. Hoang Nam (Cau Giay district) said that he and a group of friends are learning about tours to watch the World Cup semi-finals and finals even though the specific schedule has not been announced.
The World Cup is held in the US, so the cost is definitely much higher than previous tournaments, but this is an experience that I think is worth trying once in a lifetime. My group is still considering between a package tour and a self-sufficient combo to balance the budget" - Mr. Nam shared.
What worries the group of customers the most now is not only the tour price but also visa procedures, travel schedules between cities and the reputation of the ticket provider.
According to market surveys, "free & easy" combos including air tickets and hotels currently cost about 150-350 million VND/person. Meanwhile, package tours combined with high-class Hospitality services range from about 810 million - 1.5 billion VND/person, the most expensive is nearly 1.9 billion VND depending on the match, stay time and accompanying service standards.
According to Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh - Marketing and Communications Director of Vietravel Tourism Joint Stock Company, the tour and combo market to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 is recording positive signs of interest, especially in groups of customers with relatively high and high incomes, business customers, VIP customers and long-time football fans.
This is not a mass product line but belongs to the group of sports tourism combined with high-end experiences, so customer behavior has a higher level of consideration. Customers often learn very carefully about the match, seating location, hotel, travel, visa and the safety level of the ticket buying channel before deciding.
According to Vietravel representatives, the attraction of the 2026 World Cup comes from the largest scale in history. Some customers want to watch a highlight match, but there are also groups of customers combining tourism, socializing, entertaining guests or organizing programs for partners.
Diversifying products by customer segment
The trend of customers spending more money on experience has led travel businesses to develop more high-end product lines for groups of customers who want to watch the World Cup in a personalized direction.
Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh said: "These packages are not just simple football tickets but belong to the Hospitality group - that is, the official welcoming experience. Guests not only watch the match but also use a private lounge or suite space, experience cuisine, services before - during - after the match and many benefits designed to elevate the World Cup experience.
According to Ms. Van Khanh, this is a product line suitable for business customers, VIP customers or business groups with different experience needs.
With Vietluxtour, Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu - Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication - said that the trend that many tourists are interested in today is "free & easy" packages to increase flexibility for the journey.
Many customers want to be proactive about their itinerary instead of going on fixed tours, especially for long-day trips in North America. This is also the reason why air ticket, hotel and visa support combo products are being given quite a lot of attention.
Ms. Thu also said that the World Cup tour market will continue to heat up after the official schedule and major matches are announced. Therefore, tourists planning to watch the World Cup should prepare visa applications and book services early to avoid price pressure as well as the shortage of accommodation rooms in the host cities.
