The World Cup Was Not A Win For Most Cities: Fans Filled Stadiums, Not Hotel Rooms

Iran's midfielder Andranik Teymourian (L) and Iran's forward Alireza Jahanbakhsh react after their team lost a Group F football match between Bosnia-Hercegovina and Iran at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 25, 2014. (Credit: Javier Soriano/AFP)

KEY POINTS

• Most World Cup host cities recorded lower hotel occupancy than a year earlier.
• Match-day spikes in occupancy failed to translate into sustained demand.
• Some cities spend more on providing services in support of the games than they take in as tax revenue.