Apparently, many Singaporeans weren’t content with watching the World Cup from home, choosing instead to cross the Pacific to soak up the atmosphere in person.
According to Trip.com booking data, Singapore travellers had booked trips months in advance for the Knockout Stage, gripped by World Cup fever.
Source: FIFA World Cup on Facebook
The data also showed a strong preference for major gateway cities such as Vancouver and New York City (NYC).
Trip.com booking data showed that the World Cup drove a travel surge among Singapore fans.
The Group Stage in June saw the highest volume of travel activity, with flight bookings made an average of 85 days in advance.
Source: FIFA World Cup on Facebook
However, the data showed that Singapore travellers planned even further ahead for the World Cup Knockout Stage.
Flight bookings for July, when most of the Knockout Stage takes place, were made around 104 days in advance on average.
Played from 28 June to 19 July 2026, the Knockout Stage will culminate in the Final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
This was despite the uncertainty surrounding the Knockout Stage, where participating teams and matchups had yet to be confirmed.
Rather than waiting to see how fixtures unfolded, many fans secured their travel plans well in advance in anticipation of the tournament’s biggest matches.
As for destinations, Singapore fans concentrated their travel around a handful of major tournament hubs among the 16 host cities across the United States (US), Canada, and Mexico.
Source: @fifaworldcup on Instagram
Vancouver topped flight bookings for both the Group and Knockout Stages.
New York, San Francisco, and Toronto also saw consistently strong demand across both tournament windows.
Los Angeles ranked among the most popular destinations during the Group Stage, while Seattle emerged as a favourite for the Knockout Stage.
Source: @fifaworldcup on Instagram
While football may have been the main draw, Singapore travellers also made time for some of North America’s most famous attractions.
Popular additions to itineraries included the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, and Universal Studios Hollywood.
For many Singaporeans making the long-haul journey across the Pacific, the World Cup appeared to be as much a bucket-list holiday as it was a football pilgrimage.
The data further showed that travellers balanced comfort with value.
Four-star hotels accounted for around 56% to 58% of stays across both tournament windows, making them the most popular accommodation choice.
Meanwhile, five-star hotels made up 8.4% of bookings during the Group Stage and 13.7% during the Knockout Stage, pointing to a more premium tilt for later-stage trips.
By city, New York emerged as a leading choice for three-star and four-star stays, while Vancouver dominated five-star bookings.
Also read: Lau Pa Sat turns into late-night FIFA World Cup hub, watch all games live on 130-inch screens
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Featured image adapted from Ibrar Hussain on Canva (for illustration purposes only) and FIFA World Cup on Facebook.