Toronto's first men's FIFA World Cup matches have drawn thousands of international fans downtown, filling patios, fan zones and sports bars — but the surge has not yet reached the city's hotel rooms.

Sara Anghel, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, said June hotel occupancy is currently tracking below last year's levels, and could finish the month at roughly 65 per cent.

"We have seen an uneven June. There are days where it's a little better and days where it's not as great," Anghel said in an interview with Global News.

She said the tournament appears to have pushed away some of the visitors Toronto normally counts on in early summer.

"June is already a really busy month in Toronto," Anghel said. "A lot of them stayed away, so it's not the June we usually get when FIFA isn't here."

She added that when FIFA released additional tickets closer to the start of the tournament, some hotel rooms that had been held in reserve were returned to the market.

Patios busy from the convention centre to Front Street

Even with softer hotel numbers, the crowds downtown have been hard to miss as the city hosts its opening slate of World Cup fixtures. Toronto is staging five group stage matches and one knockout game between June 12 and July 2.

"Yesterday afternoon, everything from the convention centre all the way to Front Street was full of people at patios and lobbies like the Royal York," Anghel said.

Restaurants near the action say they are seeing the benefit directly.

"We had a lineup this morning and the game wasn't until 3," restaurant manager Callam Hald told Global News.

Anghel said fans have delivered a noticeable lift to restaurants, patios and hotel gathering spaces, describing the atmosphere across the core as World Cup excitement spreads.

"It's amazing energy in the city," she said.

Optimism for July and August

Andrew Weir, CEO of Destination Toronto, previously told Global News that "even if June ends up a little bit lower than initial expectations — or even lower than a typical June would be — the rest of the summer likely will balance out."

Anghel struck a similar note, saying May performed well and the industry expects a strong back half of the summer.

"May did well and we expect July and August will do very, very well," she said.

Mayor Olivia Chow said the tournament is putting the city in the global spotlight.

"The entire world, they have their eyes on Toronto," Chow said.

The World Cup was promoted as a major economic opportunity for Toronto and Canada. Whether the tournament ultimately delivers the boost promised by organizers and governments remains to be seen, and the full financial picture may not be clear until the tournament wraps up.