Use Travel Rewards to Fly Cheap to 2026 Soccer Matches

Picture this: you’ve just snagged tickets to see your country play in the biggest soccer tournament of the decade. The adrenaline is still pumping. Then you open an airline site and see round-trip flights costing $1,200, $1,800, sometimes more than the match tickets themselves. Suddenly the dream feels a little heavier on the bank account.

I’ve been there. Last summer I flew to Europe for the Euros using points, and the difference between paying cash and paying almost nothing felt like pure magic. With the expanded Club World Cup in 2025 and the full World Cup across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 2026, we have an incredible window right now to set ourselves up the same way.

The secret isn’t chasing every airline mile under the sun. It’s picking the right flexible points that can turn into almost any airline you’ll actually need. Let me walk you through exactly how to do it without wasting time or money.

Why Flexible Points Beat Airline-Specific Miles Almost Every Time

Years ago I made the rookie mistake of dumping everything into one airline program because I flew them a lot domestically. Then I needed to get to Doha for the last World Cup and realized my miles were basically worthless on the routes I needed. Lesson learned the hard way.

Today the smartest travelers collect transferable points from programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Venture miles, Citi ThankYou, or Bilt. These act like currency you can send to whichever airline actually flies where you’re going.

Think of it as keeping your money in dollars instead of locking it into one foreign currency before you even know where the tournament draw will send you.

Step One: Figure Out Who Actually Flies to the Host Cities

Sixteen cities across three countries means dozens of possible airports. Some are easy (L.A., Miami, New York), others trickier (Guadalajara, Monterrey, Vancouver).

Before you fall in love with any specific points program, do five minutes of homework:

• Pull up the Wikipedia page for your departure airport and scroll to the airline list.
• Cross-reference that with the host-city airports.
• Use Google Flights (filter by alliance if you want) to see real routes.

You’ll quickly notice patterns. Star Alliance carriers (United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Avianca, Copa) dominate many routes into Canada and Mexico. Oneworld (American, British Airways, Iberia, LATAM) owns a lot of Latin America and transatlantic traffic. SkyTeam (Delta, Air France/KLM, Aeromexico) is massive from Europe and within the Americas.

The Transferable Points “Cheat Sheet” for 2026 Soccer Travel

Here’s the current landscape of where the major transferable currencies can send your points (1:1 ratio unless noted):

Notice something? Between these five programs you can reach literally every major airline that will fly fans into North America in 2026. That’s why I never put all my eggs in one airline basket anymore.

The Cards That Will Get You There Fastest

If you’re starting from zero right now, the welcome bonuses on these cards can cover round-trip award flights for two people, sometimes more.

Premium tier (big bonuses, big annual fees):

• Chase Sapphire Reserve – routinely offers 100k-125k points after spending $6,000
• Amex Platinum – 150k+ points offers pop up regularly
• Capital One Venture X – 75k-100k points + $300 travel credit that mostly cancels the fee

Mid-tier winners (still massive value, lower fees):

• Chase Sapphire Preferred – 75k-100k points, only $95 fee
• Amex Gold – 90k points offers common, 4x on restaurants and supermarkets
• Wells Fargo Autograph Journey – 60k points, strong airline multipliers

Personal take: I keep both a Sapphire Preferred and an Amex Gold. Together they give me access to United, Delta, American, and almost every foreign carrier I’ll ever need. The combo has saved me over $12,000 in flights the past three years.

Realistic Award Costs You Should Plan For

Forget the old “60k round-trip to Europe” sweetheart deals on some programs. Dynamic pricing has changed the game, but there are still realistic targets:

• United: 60-80k round-trip from U.S. to anywhere in North America (often less from the East Coast)
• American Airlines: 45-65k off-peak to Mexico/Caribbean
• Air Canada Aeroplan: sometimes as low as 35-50k from Europe if you’re creative with stopovers
• Virgin Atlantic: books Delta flights from the UK starting at 30k-50k round-trip on off-peak dates
• Avianca LifeMiles: no fuel surcharges, routinely 50-63k from Europe to U.S.

Bottom line – a single 100k welcome bonus can easily cover one person’s flights and still leave points for hotels or a companion.

Timing Is Everything – When to Grab Your Card

We’re roughly 12-18 months out from the major events. That’s the sweet spot. Airlines usually release award seats 330-360 days in advance, and the best transfer bonuses (20-50% extra) tend to appear when issuers want to juice sign-ups.

Pro move: open the card now, hit the minimum spend over the holidays when you’re already buying gifts and travel, and sit on the points until schedules drop next summer. You’ll be ready the moment award space appears.

Don’t Sleep on Hotels Either

Those same transferable points can wipe out hotel costs too. World Cup host cities will be packed – think $600-1,200/night in some markets. But Hyatt (Chase), Marriott (Amex), Hilton (Amex), and IHG (Chase) all have properties in every host city, and award nights start as low as 8,000-15,000 points in many locations.

I’ve already locked in four nights in Mexico City next year for 15,000 World of Hyatt points per night that are currently quoting $850 cash. That’s another huge win from the same points stash.

My Exact Playbook for the Next 12 Months

Here’s what I’m doing – feel free to copy it:

1. Opened a new card with 100k+ bonus in November
2. Will meet spend by end of January
3. Monitoring transfer partner bonuses every month
4. Setting award alerts for my likely host cities (Miami, Dallas, Atlanta)
5. Keeping 50k points liquid in case a crazy transfer bonus appears
6. Already booked refundable backup cash tickets I can cancel once awards drop

It sounds like work, but it’s maybe two hours total spread across a year. And it turns a trip that could cost $4,000-6,000 per person into something closer to the price of a jersey and a couple of match-day beers.

There’s no feeling quite like walking through the airport knowing your flight cost $11.60 in taxes while everyone around you dropped two grand. Points travel isn’t about being cheap – it’s about choosing where your money actually goes.

If you love the game enough to cross oceans for it, you deserve to be in the stands without emptying your savings. Start positioning your points today, and by the time the opening match kicks off in 2026, you’ll be the one smiling at the gate while everyone else stares at their credit-card statement.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some award alerts to set up. See you in the stands.