2026 World Cup: “The threat was very real”, New York hotels will ultimately not strike during the World Cup

Phew of relief for spectators of the 2026 World Cup matches in New York (United States). Hoteliers and unions in the city sector signed a social agreement on Tuesday, thus avoiding a major strike in the middle of the World Cup.

“We’ve come a long way from where we started,” said New York Hoteliers Association President Vijay Dandapani. The social agreement lasts for eight years and covers no less than 25,000 city employees. The latter made important demands on salaries, workload and staffing levels.

Reservations lower than expected

A union member had been warning of a potential strike for several weeks and urged visitors to avoid the affected hotels. “The threat was very real,” admitted Vijay Dandapani, recalling recent union actions carried out in American cities such as Los Angeles and Boston.

The prospect of an influx of fans had slowly raised the stakes, even though FIFA, football’s world governing body, did not take part in the negotiations.

If the details of the agreement between the hoteliers and the unions have not been made public, the figure of $200,000 in increases has been mentioned. “We strongly believe in the New York market,” says Vijay Dandapani, explaining that the sector has not yet fully recovered from the pandemic.

Occupancy remains below 2019 levels and room rates, adjusted for inflation, have not yet caught up. The 2026 World Cup is expected to boost the past year even though the latest report from AHLA, the largest American hotel association AHLA, indicated a lower number of reservations than expected.

New York is scheduled to host 8 matches of the 2026 World Cup at MetLife Stadium, including the Blues’ opening match against Senegal on June 16, and the grand final on July 19.