Here’s a scenario worth thinking through before the summer.
A group of Argentina supporters book out your “Celebrate with the Champions” boat tour in Miami. You block the date, hire an extra guide, and turn away other potential guests who call to try and book that date. Then Argentina gets knocked out in the quarterfinals.
Under your current cancellation policy, what happens next? Do those supporters get a full refund?
If the answer is “probably yes” … you may have a problem.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs June 11 to July 19 across 16 host cities in North America. This will mean five and a half weeks of demand spikes, international group bookings, and more last minute cancellation risk that most operators are used to.
The “standard” refund policies that may work well in normal summers were not designed for this.
Tour and activity operators need to consider how to craft an empathetic and sustainable cancellation policy before the group stages kick off.
Why the World Cup breaks standard cancellation policies
Most tour operator cancellation policies are built around one scenario: a customer’s personal plans change. They get sick, something comes up at work, the school schedule shifts. For that scenario, a 48-hour or 72-hour cancellation window with a full refund is reasonable. It’s what OTAs expect and it’s what customers are used to.
The World Cup introduces a different kind of cancellation driver: external outcomes that are completely outside anyone’s control.
Here are three scenarios worth building your updated policy around:
Team elimination. The World Cup has 48 teams. At least 47 fan bases will experience disappointment at some stage. A meaningful amount of these fans will have booked experiences at least in some way contingent on their team advancing into the tournament. If you have themed packages or experiences timed around specific matches, you’re at risk. To prepare for this situation, consider higher non-refundable deposits on match-related packages and explicitly mentioning eliminations in your cancellation policy.
Schedule changes. FIFA has shifted kickoff times, reassigned venues, and moved matches before. Given the potential for extreme summer heat in various host cities this summer, operators have to plan for this possibility. A fan who booked your 5pm city tour because it fit perfectly after a 12pm match is now dealing with a match moved to 3pm due to heat. These aren’t cancellations because the guest changed their mind. The logistics no longer work. To prepare for this situation, consider offering an easy path to rebooking to retain the revenue while providing flexibility and explicitly mention schedule changes in your cancellation policy.
The “fan zone effect.” When your city hosts a high-profile match, a meaningful portion of international visitors may become entirely absorbed in the fan experience: street parties, supporter club gatherings, spontaneous events. Some of them will simply not show up to a tour they booked. Whether that’s a cancellation or a no-show matters a lot for what you can actually recover. To prepare for this situation, consider a no-show policy which includes a clear time window.
The deposit math that’s easy to miss
Deposit structure is a common mistake operators make when planning cancellation policies.
If that customer cancels two days out, you’re already committed. You’ve scheduled guide time, blocked capacity, and turned away other bookings.
So even when the policy says no refund, many operators still refund the full amount as a gesture of goodwill to avoid a bad review. During a normal summer, that might happen only a handful of times. Everything evens out, or close enough.
But this upcoming summer, the dynamics of the World Cup could mean operators have to face multiple waves of this in quick succession.
But the math changes if you move to a higher non-refundable deposit. Here’s how to think about it:
What does it actually cost you when someone cancels two days out? Count the guide hours you’ve already committed, the opportunity cost of the blocked slot, any equipment reserved, and any prep work done. If your current deposit isn’t aligned with this cost, increase it.
The non-refundable deposit is not a penalty, it’s a commitment from the customer. “This deposit is required to confirm your booking and reserves your guide, equipment, and slot, all of which we commit to on the day you book.” By being transparent, you can frame the higher deposit as their part of a mutual commitment.
Tiering deposit amounts by booking type will be helpful. The World Cup is a special circumstance, but not every booking that occurs during the World Cup has the same cancellation risk profile. For instance, a large group booking for an explicitly World Cup themed package later in the tournament is the more risky than a small group booking for a standard package earlier in the summer.
Early-bird pricing will also smooth operations. Not every guest needs or wants extra flexibility. For visitors who are more certain about their plans, you can offer a discounted “early bird” rate that’s fully non-refundable from the moment of booking. This is very common for booking hotels and other accommodations.
Being transparent and providing options allows your potential guests to make an informed decision about what best fits their situation.
Writing protective cancellation policies
There’s a difference between a policy that sounds protective and one that holds up when a customer disputes a charge in July.
That difference comes down to how your policy is written and what the customer sees at the moment they book. If our terms aren’t clear, visible, and specific, they won’t protect you. During an event like the World Cup, that risk goes up.
Here are four ways to make sure your policy works in practice:
Present before payment, not after. Your cancellation policy needs to be visible, and ideally acknowledged, before a customer enters their credit card number. “By completing this booking you agree to our cancellation policy” with a link may not be enough. If you’re using booking software like Checkfront, ensure your policy appears on the checkout page before the payment step.
Be specific about the timeline. “Cancellations must be made 72 hours before the tour start time to receive a refund of the remaining balance after the non-refundable deposit” is enforceable. “We have a flexible cancellation policy” is not.
Name the non-refundable elements. Don’t say “deposits are non-refundable” and leave it at that. Say “the 50% deposit paid at booking is non-refundable under all circumstances, including weather, illness, and changes to the FIFA World Cup schedule or match results.”
Separate your policy from your goodwill. Your written policy is your protection. Extending goodwill is a separate decision and you should retain the flexibility to make that call on a case by case basis.
A Cancellation Policy Template You Can Use
Booking Confirmation and Cancellation Policy
A deposit of [X]% is required to confirm your booking. This deposit is non-refundable.
Cancellations made [72 hours / 7 days] or more before your tour start time: The remaining balance will be refunded in full.
Cancellations made less than [72 hours / 7 days] before your tour start time: No refund will be issued on any amount paid.
Cancellations due to changes in sporting event schedules, match results, team eliminations, or other third-party events are subject to the standard policy above.
We are happy to discuss rebooking options on a case-by-case basis. Rebooking credits are offered at our discretion and are valid for [90 days / 12 months] from the date of the original booking.
By completing this booking, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this cancellation policy.
What happens when there is a dispute?
Even with a clear policy in place, chargebacks happen. A chargeback is when a customer disputes a charge with their bank and the bank reverses it, regardless of what your cancellation policy says.
When this happens, the decision doesn’t come down to intent, it comes down to evidence.
What helps you win a chargeback dispute:
- A clear, visible cancellation policy that was presented before payment
- A record of the customer’s agreement to those terms (a checkbox on checkout, a confirmation email that includes the policy)
- Documentation that you communicated with the customer about the cancellation (emails, timestamps)
- Evidence that you offered an alternative (rebooking credit, date change) where possible
What leads to lost chargebacks:
- A buried cancellation policy
- No record of the customer acknowledging the terms
- A refund policy that says one thing and an email from your team that says something different
If you’re processing bookings through software that captures booking data and sends confirmation emails automatically, you already have most of this infrastructure. The gap is usually in how the policy is presented at checkout, and whether the terms in your confirmation email match the terms on your checkout page.
What about existing World Cup bookings?
It’s important to honor the cancellation policy at the time the booking was made, but you can still take some steps to mitigate risk.
Email existing bookings and explain the update. “As we approach the World Cup period, we’re updating our cancellation policy for new bookings. Your existing booking remains under the original terms.” This keeps things clear, builds trust, and prevents confusion if they see updated terms later.
Offer existing customers an early rebooking option. “If your plans change, we’re happy to help you reschedule to another date at no cost if you contact us before [date].” This gives you more flexibility than dealing with last-minute cancellations and helps keep goodwill intact.
Update your live booking pages ASAP. Every new booking from this point forward should be under your updated terms. Don’t wait until May. Act now to minimize your potential exposure.
The World Cup window in your booking software
The practical implementation matters as much as the policy itself.
Your booking software should let you set different cancellation rules by date range, product, or booking type. If it doesn’t, that’s a gap worth addressing before June.
For the June 11 to July 19 window, you want to ensure you have the flexibility to:
- Apply a higher non-refundable deposit percentage to bookings for that period
- Set tighter cancellation windows (7 days rather than 48 hours) for group bookings
- Configure automatic confirmation emails that include the full policy text, not a link to the policy, the actual text
- Track cancellations by booking type so you can see, post-tournament, whether your policy held
If you’re unsure whether your current setup handles this, it’s worth doing a test booking on your own site to see exactly what the checkout experience looks like and what policy language a customer actually sees before paying.
Before the first cancellations hit
The 2026 World Cup will bring a unique set of circumstances that most operators haven’t managed before.
If your cancellation policy is built for a typical peak season, it may not reflect how bookings behave during a major event.
The operators who review and adjust early will be in a stronger position to protect revenue and avoid last-minute disputes. The ones who don’t will likely be making exceptions in real time.
With Checkfront, you can set deposits, apply different rules by date or booking type, and manage your cancellation policy so you stay in control even when demand gets unpredictable.
