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Unfilled hotels and empty seats raise doubts over expected World Cup windfall Cover image: © France 24

01:47

Issued on: 12/06/2026 - 13:15

It's the biggest sporting event on the planet so questions as to whether the World Cup will spark a tourism bonanza in the host nation - or in this case nations - should be a foregone conclusion. And yet there are serious questions over whether that will indeed be the case in 2026, with hotels unfilled and stadium seats empty as the tournament gets underway on Monday. Luke Shrago takes a closer look.