The report says Mexico City is tightening short-term rental rules with a mandatory registry for hosts, while properties outside that system could reportedly face restrictions.
That matters because major tournaments can reshape local housing almost overnight:
Brugada’s warning reads like an attempt to get ahead of the familiar World Cup pattern: celebration in the center, pressure on residents in the margins.
The same update says Mexico could attract more than 836,000 additional visitors during the tournament, with accommodation expected to be one of the major pressure points. It also says average nightly costs in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey appear lower than in several host cities in the United States and Canada.
That could make Mexico especially attractive to:
In football terms, affordability can be a competitive advantage for a host city. But it can also become a problem if supply expands faster than oversight.
Tourism secretary Alejandra Frausto said the new rules are meant to stop the spread of “simulated hotels,” according to the report. That phrase is telling. It suggests the argument is no longer about casual home-sharing, but about whether large-scale short-let businesses are operating like hotels without the same burden of regulation.
That is likely to be one of the defining host-city stories from now until 2026: not just where fans stay, but who pays the price when football arrives. The next thing to watch is whether other World Cup cities follow Mexico City’s lead before the tournament draw turns travel plans into a rush.