The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than a month away. The soccer fans from all parts of the world are expected to start arriving in various cities soon. This is about to get restaurants, bars, hotels, cafes, casinos, and other entertainment venues in a never-before-seen soccer event.
Along with the major economic benefits and cultural unity, there is an issue that might catch soccer fans from abroad off guard. That’s tipping. In American culture, tipping is an integral part of people’s way to enhance their incomes, but it’s not like that in other countries. How is this unusual scenario being seen, and how will it be tackled? Let’s find out.
Global visitors, different norms
The US has had a strong tipping culture for a long time. In most places, such as restaurants and cafes, service workers expect customers to tip somewhere between 15% and 25%. This is set to leave visitors utterly confused. In Europe, service charges are part of the bills, and in Japan, tipping is considered disrespectful. In many other countries, there is no awareness at all that any such thing exists. But in the US, it’s a matter of culture and dependency.
Service workers here are highly dependent on tips, as it gives them an opportunity to make more than usual. Therefore, misunderstandings in this regard are expected, and the period, which is supposed to be one of the busiest for every business establishment in the service industry, might see tensions. Whether it’s a PA casino and sportsbook or an LA bar and restaurant, the issue will remain the same across cities and setups. Hospitality customs in America are largely different from those in other places, so there are already serious discussions around it.
Restaurants eying service charges
Talks are doing the rounds that restaurants across the US might add automatic gratuities or fixed service charges to do away with the tipping confusion. The percentage is expected to be 20 or so. This is seen as a step to ensure workers receive consistent tips and to avoid having to explain the tipping system to every international customer. It is still prevalent in some setups across the nation, but the World Cup might make it a wider approach everywhere.
Pressure on service workers
Employers usually offer an hourly base wage of $2.13, irrespective of what workers earn from tips. Under federal law, the minimum wage stands at $7.25 per hour, and currently, there are numerous workers across the US who fail to reach that point without the employer paying the difference (i.e., $7.25 minus $2.13). Several states have higher minimums, but that does not solve the problem as workers continue to depend heavily on tips.
Experienced workers in busy markets make anywhere between $20 to $40, but even that’s not seen as sufficient in terms of what they actually deserve. Therefore, instead of maximizing profits during one of the biggest global events, workers would not want to find themselves in a situation where a lack of cultural understanding prevented them from earning more money.
America’s tipping debate
The broader US economy this year has been under slight pressure, so the FIFA World Cup is seen as a major financial booster. But during this, common service workers being left behind is not the ideal situation. There is a set of people within the country who believe that international customers should not be made to subsidize worker wages through gratuities. This shows that there is a difference of opinion within the service industry. This comes from the fatigue that Americans themselves have experienced due to rising expectations for tipping.
More workers from outside the country taking up jobs in the service sector, the rising cost of living, and a slowdown in employment opportunities have led to surface-level tensions. But the tipping culture continues to rise, as can be seen through prompts when making digital payments, which ask for tips.
Beyond restaurants
This burning hot tipping issue will certainly extend well beyond restaurants. There are hotel workers, bartenders, taxi drivers, delivery workers, and stadium vendors who are pinning hopes on the FIFA World Cup to help them make extra income.
It’s not a live sports streaming being enjoyed at home, where there are no direct interactions with service workers. There will be matches across cities, and fans will be on regular movement. In this process, they will come across various businesses and their workers. And at every new place and with a new person, there will be different payment systems, service charges, and tipping expectations.
