Airlines Adding Routes, Capacity for 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America

Airlines globally are preparing for a significant travel surge around the 2026 FIFA World Cup by adding new routes, deploying larger aircraft, and increasing frequencies to North American host cities. Major carriers including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta are adding thousands of seats on both permanent and temporary routes, with American adding 27,000 seats on 12 routes and United launching special World Cup portals for fans. International airlines are also participating, with carriers from South America (Avianca, GOL, LATAM Brasil), Africa (Royal Air Maroc), Europe (Scandinavian Airlines, SWISS), and the Caribbean (Surinam Airways) launching or expanding services timed to the tournament. Some airlines are introducing entirely new routes, such as Avianca's nonstop service between Guatemala City and San Francisco, while others like GOL are boosting existing routes by approximately 70%. Though the World Cup represents a relatively small portion of the broader US airline system's capacity, IATA data indicates bookings to most host cities are rising 2-8% year-over-year between June and July, suggesting concentrated demand around marquee matches.