Local Airbnb hosts are reportedly pinning their hopes on fans of Australia's national team, the Socceroos, to fill up vacation rentals during the tournament. Let that sink in: the economic viability of short-term rentals during the World Cup — an event that routinely draws millions of traveling fans worldwide — is apparently riding on whether enough Australians decide to make the trip.

This should be a layup. A global mega-event, hosted in one of the most famous cities on the planet, during peak summer travel season. Instead, tournament fever is at "low ebb," and hosts are scrambling.

So what went wrong? A few things. FIFA's decision to spread the tournament across three countries and 16 cities means there's no single epicenter of energy. The sprawling format dilutes the atmosphere that made previous World Cups feel like cultural events, not just soccer matches. Add in San Francisco's well-earned reputation for street-level disorder, aggressive regulation of short-term rentals, and general cost-of-living sticker shock, and you've got a recipe for underwhelming demand.

Here's the uncomfortable truth for City Hall: you can't slap a World Cup logo on a city that's spent years chasing away tourists with dirty streets, open drug markets, and hostile business policies, then act surprised when visitors aren't exactly rushing to book. The brand damage is real, and no amount of FIFA gloss covers it up.

For Airbnb hosts who've navigated years of increasingly burdensome city regulations just to legally rent out a spare room, the irony is thick. The city makes it harder to operate, then wonders why the tourism infrastructure isn't ready for prime time.

Maybe the Socceroos will save the day. But a world-class city shouldn't need a Hail Mary from Down Under to fill hotel rooms during the world's biggest sporting event.