Prices for short-term rentals in Greater Boston have “skyrocketed for the weeks in June and early July,” when Gillette Stadium will host 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, according to Brinker & Fonseca of the BOSTON GLOBE. Airbnbs are fairly scarce and pricey all-over Greater Boston. During the first group stage match -- Scotland vs. Haiti -- on June 13, the “average rate for a night in an Airbnb here is $483, $200 more than the same time last year.” Airbnbs in and around Foxborough are “going for thousands of dollars a night, with a week-long stay in a multibedroom house sometimes clocking in at $30,000 to $40,000.” The company said that Boston-area property owners who rent out a home for the World Cup are “set to earn an average of $5,200, the third-highest of any host city.” For days when group stage matches are scheduled, “around 47 percent of the Airbnbs in the Boston area are rented out,” according to data from analytics company AirDNA. A Deloitte study commissioned by Airbnb found that, of the estimated 164,000 tourists projected to visit Boston for the games, “roughly 10 percent will stay in short-term rentals: That’s about 17,000 people” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/29).
ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH: In Pittsburgh, Samuel Long noted the Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro administration announced that Pittsburgh will “host one of three free Pennsylvania World Cup ‘fan zones’ during the games,” bringing “public watch parties, entertainment and fan activities to the North Shore.” Events will also take place in Reading and Scranton. In Pittsburgh, the Acrisure field will “find fans gathered with blankets to watch knockout round matches on the stadium’s 28-by-96-foot video board, with watch parties scheduled for July 4, 5, 9 and 19” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 3/27). NBCPHILADELPHIA.com’s Cherise Lynch reported Shapiro on Friday signed a new bill into law that establishes a “temporary ‘Philadelphia 250 Permit’ that allows bars, restaurants and nightlife venues to stay open an extra two hours during the World Cup and other 250 celebrations.” It extends closing time “from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. between June 11 and July 20, 2026” (NBCPHILADELPHIA.com, 3/27).
